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WILLIAM  HEATHCOTH  DE  LANCEY 
Frj7H  a  Cameo  cut  a!  Rotne  in  zSjs 


THE    DIOCESE 

OF  \ 

WESTERN    NEW   YORK 


HISTORY   AND    RECOLLECTIONS 


BY 


CHARLES    WELLS    HAYES 


SECOND  EDITION 


Rochester,  N.  Y. 

SCRANTOM,   WETMORE  &  CO., 

21  State  St. 

M     C    M    V 


Copyright  1904 

by 

Charles  Wells  Hayes. 


Press  of 

W.  F.  Humphrey, 

Geneva,   N.  Y. 


PREFACE 


HAVE  attempted  to  write  the  story,  in  outline,  of  the 
"  Diocese  of  Western  New  York,"  by  which  1  mean  the 
(Protestant  Episcopal)  Church  in  the  western  half  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  from  Utica  west  to  Buffalo,  set 
off  in  1838  as  a  new  Diocese  from  the  original  one  com- 
prising the  whole  State.  This  new  Diocese  was  divided  again  thirty 
years  later,  the  eastern  half  of  it  being  erected  into  the  present  Diocese 
of  Central  New  York.  The  story  is  naturally  divided  into  four 
periods. 

I  Missions  to  the  Iroquois  Indians,  prior  to  the  beginning  of 
settlement  by  whites  in  1784-5. 

II  The  Diocese  of  New  York,  17S5  to  1838. 

III  The  original   Diocese  of  Western  New  York,   1838  to  1868. 

IV  The  present  Diocese,  from  1868  to  1896. 

The  story  of  the  first  period,  of  170 years,  is  a  very  short  one,  and 
has  little  to  do  with  the  later  history.  'I'hat  of  the  second  is  mainly 
the  short  but  brilliant  and  fruitful  Episcopate  of  Bishop  Hobart, 
1811-30.  The  third  period  is  nearly  coincident  with  the  no  less 
remarkable  work  of  Bishop  De  L.\ncev,  1839-65.  The  last  covers 
nearly  all  that  of  Bishop  Coxe,  1865-96.  Each  of  these  three  great 
Bishops  left,  as  we  shall  see,  a  permanent  impress  on  the  growth  and 
character  of  the  Church  in  Western  New  York,  and  its  history  is 
largely  their  biography. 

The  book  has  been  written  at  the  oft-repeated  request  of  the  late 
Bishop  Coxe,  and  of  many  other  personal  friends,  mostly  from 
materials  gathered  during  many  years.  I  have  ventured  to  call  it 
"  history,"  but  perhaps  a  more  descriptive  title  would  be  "  historical 
materials  (or  facts),  and  recollections,"  the  httle  rills,  as  they  have 
been  aptly  called,  which  make  the  larger  streams  of  history.  For 
one  thing  1  have  to  apologize, — the  attempt  to  write  at  all  the  story 
of  an  Episcopate  so  recent  and  of  such  manifold  aspects  as  that  of 
Bishop  Coxe.  For  this  I  can  only  plead  the  earnest  request  of  a 
number  of  the  clergymen  and  laymen  of  the  Diocese,  who  felt  that 
some  record  of  his  remarkable  work  ought  to  be  made  before  those 


iv  Preface 

who  had  their  part  in  it  had  all  passed  away.  If  this  part  of  the 
book  proves  to  be  at  all  what  it  should  be,  it  will  be  largely  due  to 
the  encouragement  and  help  given  me  by  these  good  friends,  too 
many  to  be  even  named  here. 


I  must  however  acknowledge  my  obligations  to  many  friends  for  the 
illustrations  of  this  book.  Nos.  6,  13,  14,  19,  25,  35,  36,  56,  67, 
74,  75,  76,  78,  82  and  85,  in  the  list  given  on  page  ix,  are  due  to 
the  courtesy  of  the  Churchman  Company  of  New  York  ;  Nos.  9,  12, 
15,  30,  68,  71  and  87  have  been  kindly  furnished  me  by  the 
Archdeacon  of  Rochester  ;  Nos.  8,  16  and  17  by  the  Rev.  John 
Brainard,  D.D.;  Nos.  7,  21,  22,  23,  24  and  46  by  the  Rev.  John  R. 
Harding  ;  Nos.  11,  54  and  83  are  from  the  Evans- Bartlett  history  of 
S.  Paul's  Church,  Buffalo,  by  the  kindness  of  its  authors  ;  Nos.  31, 
37  and  88  are  from  Mrs.  Mixer's  History  of  Trinity  Church,  through 
the  Rector,  the  Rev.  Cameron  J.  Davis  ;  Nos.  2,  43,  72,  80  and  81 
from  "  Geneva  on  Seneca  Lake,"  published  by  the  Geneva  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce;  No.  5  from  the  Hon.  George  W.  Nicholas  of 
Geneva;  No.  i  from  Mrs.  John  P.  De  Lancey  of  Geneva  ;  No.  34  from 
Mrs.  Millicent  L.  Hamlin  of  Holland  Patent;  No.  38  from  the  Rev. 
Henry  E.  Hubbard  ;  Nos.  44  and  79  from  the  Rev.  William  Stanley 
Barrows  ;  No.  49  from  Mrs.  Emily  B.  Clarke  of  Syracuse  ;  No.  50 
from  the  late  Rev.  Edward  B.  Spalding,  L.H.D.;  No.  51  from  the 
Right  Rev.  the  Bishop  of  North  Dakota  ;  Nos.  57-63  from  the  Rev. 
William  L.  Davis  ;  No.  65  from  Mrs.  Walter  Ayrault  ;  No.  66  from 
Miss  Clara  A.  Prescott  of  Newark ;  No.  69  from  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Charles  H.  Boynton  ;  No.  70  from  Mr.  Edgar  Parker  of  Geneva  ; 
No.  84  from  Miss  Mary  Richards  Berry  of  Buffalo. 

60  Park  Place,  Geneva,  N.  Y., 
Dec.  15,  1903. 


PREFACE 


TO    THE    SECOND    EDITION. 

AVAIL   myself  of  the  issue  of  a   Second    Edition  to 

correct  some  inaccurate  statements. 

Page  301,  line  14.   The  site  of  the  Rochester  Church 

Home  was  given  by  George  R.  Clark  and  George  E. 

Mumford,  but  the  money  for  the  buildings  was 
obtained  by  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  George  H.  Mumford  and  other  Roch- 
ester Church  women. 

Page  310.  In  the  story  of  the  later  missionary  work  of  the  Dio- 
cese, it  should  be  said  that  the  late  Rev.  William  D'Orville  Doty, 
D.D.,  Rector  of  Christ  Church,  Rochester,  had  much  to  do  with  the 
founding  of  S.  John's  Mission  in  that  city  ;  and  a  word  should  be 
added  of  the  labours  of  the  late  Rev.  William  Catterson  in  Yates  and 
Steuben  counties,  one  result  of  which  was  the  building  up  of  a  sub- 
stantial and  now  prosperous  parish  in  Penn  Yan,  out  of  two  contend- 
ing and  failing  congregations. 

Page  311,  line  6.  S.  Luke's  Church  began  the  deaf-mute  work 
in  Rochester. 

Page  336,  note.  The  Diocese  gave  $35,000  for  the  building  of 
Coxe  Memorial  Hall. 

Page  349,  line  18.  The  Rev.  James  P.  Foster  and  the  Rev. 
George  T.  Le  Boutillier  each  served  for  a  short  time  as  General  Mis- 
sionary under  the  resolution  of  the  Council  of   1890. 

In  saying  on  page  59  that  through  the  intercourse  of  Bishop 
Hobart  with  the  Rev.  Hugh  James  Rose  m  1825  "the  Oxford  Move- 
ment of  the  Church  of  England  had  its  beginning,"  I  did  not  mean 
to  attribute  an  undue  influence  to  the  Bishop,  but  only  that  Mr.  Rose 
was  thus  encouraged  and  aided  in  the  inspiration  and  suggestion  of 
that  great  work,  which  seems  to  have  come  from  him  more  than  from 
any  other  one  man.  But  see  Bishop  Coxe's  remark  on  the  true  origin 
of  the  "  Catholic  revival."  on  page  339  ;  and  Dr.  W.  J.  Seabury's 
in  his  sermon  at  the  Centennial  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York,  1885, 
where  he  speaks  of  Bishop  Hobart  as  "  sowing  in  the  Church  in  New 


VI  Preface 

York,  years  before  it  was  scattered  from  Oxford,  the  seed  which 
within  the  latter  half  of  the  century  has  borne  such  wondrous  fruit  of 
devotion  to  the  love  of  Christ,  and  to  the  love  of  man  for  Christ's 
sake.  Not  that  these  truths  had  been  unknown  here,  more  than  they 
were  in  England,  before  his  time  ;  but  that  he  brought  them  home  to 
the  consciousness  of  his  Diocese.  So  that  when  the  great  wave  of 
reaction  to  the  true  and  primitive  principles  of  the  Reformation  which 
had  been  started  in  England  began  to  be  felt  here,  it  came  as  an 
impetus  to  a  movement  already  in  operation,  rather  than  as  a  new 
power. ' ' 

The  full  and  appreciative  review  of  this  History  by  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Hooper,  which  I  have  just  seen  in  the  Church  Eclectic  for 
October,  mildly  notes  what  was  really  an  inexcusable  carelessness  in 
the  First  Edition,  in  calling  Bishop  Eastburn,  on  page  121,  "suc- 
cessor of  the  elder  Dr.  Bedell"  in  the  Church  of  the  Ascen- 
sion, New  York,  instead  of  predecessor  of  the  younger  Bedell, 
afterwards  Bishop  of  Ohio.  In  acknowledging  the  Eclectic's 
excellent  article,  which  will  doubtless  be  read  with  interest  by  many 
who  may  not  see  the  History,  I  cannot  but  add  a  word  of  thanks 
for  the  more  than  kindly  welcome  which  the  first  Edition  has 
received  from  so  many  within  and  without  the  Diocese,  as  well  as 
from  the  Council  of  1904  in  the  appreciative  resolution  offered  by  my 
dear  friend  Archdeacon  Washburn  and  unanimously  adopted.  One 
sentence  of  it  I  venture  to  quote  as  no  more  than  true, — that  "  the 
story  of  the  extension  and  upbuilding  of  Church  institutions  and 
influence  in  this  region  proves  to  be  one  of  deep  interest  beyond  our 
borders,  and  is  of  rare  value  to  every  member  of  this  Body." 
Imperfectly  as  the  story  has  been  told  thus  far,  I  trust  that  its 
theme  will  be  of  no  less  interest  as  years  go  on,  and  that  it  may 
sometime  be  more  fully  written  by  a  better  historian. 

Geneva,  Dec.  i,  1904. 


Wt/^  cAutya^ 


CONTENTS 

PARTI.     COLONIAL:      1615-1785 

CHAPTBK  PACK 

I.     Seventeenth  Century  Missions i 

II.     English  Missions  :     Moor  and  Andrews 4 

III.  English  Missions  :     Ogilvie  and  Stuart 8 

IV.  Protestant  Missions  :     Zeisberger  and  Kirkland 13 


PART  II.     DIOCESE  OF    NEW  YORK:      1785-1838 

V.      First  Settlers  and  Missionaries 15 

VI.     Davenport  Phelps 22 

VII.     Davenport  Phelps  :      1804  to  181 1 27 

VIII.     Bishop  Hobart  as  Coadjutor,  181 1-16 35 

IX.     Some  Early  Churches 42 

X.     Visitations  of  i8i8 :     the  Oneidas 48 

XI.     Theological  Education  :     Geneva  College 54 

XII.     Visitation  of  1826  :     S.  Luke's,  Rochester 60 

XIII.  Diocesan  Missions  in  1827  :     the  Gospel  Messenger 65 

XIV.  Bishop  Hobart's  last  Years  :     the  Oneidas,  1829 74 

XV.     Last  Work  and  Death  of  Bishop  Hobart,  1830 78 

XVI.     Bishop  Onderdonk :     Fanaticism :      1831-3 84 

XVII.     Movement  for  a  New  Diocese,  1834 93 

XVIII.     Steps  toward  a  New  Diocese,  1835 99 

XIX.     Episcopal  Work  and  Diocesan  Growth,  1835-7 105 

XX.     The  New  Diocese  organized,  1838 112 


PART  III.     DIOCESE  OF  WESTERN  NEW  YORK:    1838-68 

XXI.     Election  and  Consecration  of  Bishop  De  Lancey 1 19 

XXII.     Western  New  York  in  1839 130 

XXIII.     First  Visitations  :     Diocesan  Funds 137 

XXIV.     Early  Conventions :     Bishop's  Address  of   1841 144 

XXV.     First  Charge  :     Clergy  of   1839-44 150 

XXVI.     The  Oxford  Movement  :     Clerical  Support 158 

XXVII.  "  What  is  not  Puseyism  "  :     Consecration  at  Geneva,  1S44.  . .  166 

XXVIII.     Trials,  Controversies,  and  Diocesan  Work,  1844-6 173 

XXIX.      The  E.  K.  S.  and  other  Controversies  of  1848 180 

XXX.     Hobart  College  and  Divinity  School 188 

XXXI.     Bishop  De  Lancey  in  England  :     De  Veaux  College 195 


Vlll 


Contents 


CHAPTBR 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 

XXXVII. 

XXXVIII. 

XXXIX. 

XL. 

XLI. 

XLII. 


XLIII. 

XLIV. 

XLV. 

XLVI. 

XLVII. 

XLVIII. 

XLIX. 


PAGE 

Provinces  :     The  Tithe  :     Parish  Duties 203 

Western  New  York  Clergy  of  1849-59 21c 

The  Training  School  :     Two  Episcopal  Charges 218 

The  Bishop  Abroad  :     Church-Building  and  Ritual 225 

The  Civil  War  :     Election  of  Coadjutor,  1864 236 

Consecration  of  Bishop  Coxe:     Death  of  Bishop  DeLancey. .  246 

Bishop  Coxe  at  Work 255 

The  Oneida  Convocation 265 

A  New  See  erected 272 

"  Central  New  York  " 282 

The  Cathedral  :     Laymen 291 

PART  IV.     THE  PRESENT  DIOCESE 

Diocesan  Work,  1869-79 298 

Parochial  Work,  Schools  and  Charities,  1869-79 309 

Bishop  Coxe  and  Christian  Unity 318 

Educational  Work,  1880-96 328 

Diocesan  Work  :     Semi-Centennial,  1888 337 

Diocesan  Councils  and  Parochial  Work,  1880-96 347 

Bishop  Coxe's  Last  Years 357 

Note  on  Bishop  Coxe's  Ancestry  and  Early  Life 370 

Clergy  of  Western  New  York,  1787  to  1896 372 

Index  of  Clergymen 386 

Index  of  Lay  Names 393 

Index  of  Places 399 

General  Index 402 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

No.                                                                                                                                         Fa<  iNf.  Pace 

1  William  Heathcote  Del.ancey,    1S35 Title 

2  Iroquois  Council  Tree S 

3  Altar  Plate  given  by  Queen  Anne  to  the  Mohawk  Chapel    1712.  . . .  13 

4  Site  of  Mohawk  church  near  Lewiston,   1775 '3 

5  Letter  of  Bishop  Moore  to  Judge  Nicholas  of  Geneva,    1806 16 

6  Benjamin  Moore,  Second  Bishop  of  New  York 20 

7  Trinity  Church,  Utica,  1806,  the  oldest  church  in  old  W.  N.  V. . .  .  34 

8  S.  Peter's  Church,  Auburn  (first),  181 2 2.S 

9  S.  Paul's  Church,  Honeoye  (Allen's  Hill),    18 18 32 

10  S.  John's  Church,  Canandaigua  (first),    1816 45 

1 1  Chancel  of  S.  Paul's  Church,  Buffalo,  182 1    49 

12  Sentence  of  Consecration  (Honeoye)  by  Bishop  Hobart,     1818. ...  52 

13  S.  Luke's  Church,  Rochester.    1826 60 

14  Chancel  of  S.  Luke's  Church,   Rochester 64 

15  S.  Paul's  Church,  Rochester,  (first),    1830 68 

16  S.  Peter's  Church,  Auburn  (second),    1833 72 

17  Rectory  of  S.  Peter's,  Auburn,  where  Bishop  Hobart  died   76 

1 8  John  Henry  Hobart,  Third  Uishop  of  New   York    80 

19  Benjamin  Tredwell  Onderdonk,  Fourth  Bishop  of   New  York 84 

20  S.  Peter's  Church,  Westfield,  1S33,  with  tower  of  1866 89 

21-3  Three  early  Rectors  of  Trinity  Church,  Utica,  1821-57 96 

24  Interior  of  Trinity  Church,  Utica,  Centennial  of  1898 100 

25  James  Aaron  Bolles,  Rector  of  S.  James,  Batavia,    1834-54    120 

26  William  Heathcote  DeLancey,  First  Bishop  of  Western  New  York  128 

27  Geneva  from  Seneca  Lake '3- 

28  John  Adams  of  Lyons,  1861,  aet.  66 140 

29  Benjamin  Hale,  Third  President  of  Hobart  College,  1836-58 144 

30  S.  John's  Church,  Sodus,  1834,  with  later  porch 148 

31  William  Shelton 152 

32-3  Edward  Livermore  and  William  James  Alger ...  160 

34  S.  Paul's  Church,  Holland  Patent,  1824    (1903) 164 

35  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,    1844 168 

36  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  north  aisle 172 

37  Edward   IngersoU 176 

38  John  Visger  Van  Ingen 184 

39-42  Early  Presidents  of  Hobart  College 188 

43  Hobart  College,    1903 192 

44  Samuel  De  Veaux  (from  portrait  at  l)e  Veaux  College) 200 

45  Letter  of  Orders,  by  Bishop   DeLancey 204 

46  Samuel  Hanson  Coxe 209 

47-8  Israel  Foote  and  Heni7  Stanley 212 


X  Illustrations 

No.  Facing  Pack 

49     Joseph  Morison  Clarke 216 

50-51     Erastus  Spalding  and  Duncan  Cameron  Mann 220 

52-3     Anthony  Schuyler  and  John  Jacob  Brandegee 224 

54  S.  Paul's  Church,  Buffalo,    1851 228 

55  S.  John's  Church,  Phelps,  1856,  with  chancel  of  1896 232 

56  William  Thomas    Gibson 236 

57-63     Geneva  Clergymen  of  1866 240 

64  Letter  of  Bishop  Coxe 244 

65  Walter  Ayrault 248 

66  S.  Mark's  Church,  Newark  (first),  1852,    with  later  additions 252 

67  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,    1850 256 

68  S.  Luke's  Church,  Branchport,     1868 273 

69  S.  Michael's  Church,  Geneseo,  1867,  and   Rectory 292 

70  S.  Peter's  Church  and  Rankine  Memorial  House,   Geneva 296 

7 1  Church  Home,  Rochester 300 

72  Church  Home,  Geneva 304 

73  S.  John's  Church,  Canandaigua  (second),    1886 308 

74  Church  Home,  Buffalo,  1894 312 

75  S.  Andrew's  Church  and  Rectory,   Rochester 316 

76  Chapel  of  the  Holy  Innocents,  Church  Home,  Buffalo,  1895 320 

77  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  Second  Bishop  of  Western  New  York 324 

78  Christ  Church,  Rochester 328 

79  De  Veaux  College,  1857,  with  Chapel  of  1894 332 

80-1     Hobart  College,  Coxe  and  Medbery  Halls 336 

82  James   Rankine 344 

83  S.  Paul's  Church,  Buffalo,  restored  1889 348 

84  Church  of  t'ne  Good  Shepherd  (IngersoU  Memorial)  and  Rectory. .  352 

85  Interior  of  Christ  Church,  Rochester 356 

86  DeLancey  School  for  Girls,  Geneva 360 

87  Grace  Church,  Dundee,  1903 36S 

88  WilHam  David  Walker,  Third  Bishop  of  Western  New    York 370 


PART    FIRST 

COLONIAL:    1615-1785 


CHAPTER     I 

SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY  MISSIONS 

HE  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus  (1492),  and  of 
the  continent  of  North  America  by  John  Cabot  (1497), 
brought  with  it  the  ministrations  of  the  Church,  in  the 
latter  case  of  the  Church  of  England.  In  the  "  Privy 
Purse  Expenses  "  of  Henry  VII.,  March  24,  1498,  is  a 
grant  of  ;i^2o  to  "Lancelot  Thirkill  of  London,"  for  a  "Prest  for  his 
shippe  going  towards  the  New  Islande."*  A  Canon  of  S.  Paul's  Cathe- 
dral. London,  appears  at  S.  John's,  Newfoundland,  early  in  the  six- 
teenth century. t 

The  expedition  under  Sir  Hugh  Willoughby  for  discovering  a 
northern  passage  to  "  Cathay,"  in  1553,  had  "  Master  Richard  Staf- 
ford, Minister,"  as  its  Chaplain.  The  Chaplain  of  Frobisher  in  1578, 
"  Master  Wolfall,"  first  celebrated  the  Holy  Communion  in  North 
America  with  the  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England,  at  "  Winter  Fur- 
nace," Newfoundland  ;  and  in  the  following  year,  on  S.  John  Bap- 
tist's Day  (or  Eve)  the  same  English  service  was  held  on  the  coast  of 
California  (probably  on  the  site  of  S.  Francisco)  by  Francis  Pletcher, 
Chaplain  of  the  "  Pelican,"  under  Sir  Francis  Drake.  Of  nearly  the 
same  date  are  the  expeditions  under  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  to  Roanoke, 
Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  to  Newfoundland  (1583-84),  and  Sir  Richard 
Grenville  to  Virginia  (1585),  the  latter  with  the  first  record  of  mission- 
ary work  among  the  Indians,  by  the  Chaplain,  Thomas  Hariot.l 

*  Sir  Harris  Nicolas,  Excerpta  Historica,  85-133  (quoted  by  Bishop  Perry,  Hist. 
Amer.  Epis.  Churcli,  I.  2). 

tid. 

JBishop  Perry,  11-13.  It  is  worth  while  to  quote  here  the  words  of  Edward 
Hayes,  Master  and  owner  of  the  only  ship  (the  Golden  Hind)  which  returned  from 
Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert's  ill-fated  expedition,  as  to  the  Christian  spirit   in  which 


2  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

These  were  followed  at  no  long  interval  by  the  English  colonists  of 
Virginia  and  Maine  in  1607,  with  Robert  Hunt  and  Richard  Seymour 
as  their  Chaplains. 

But  in  Western  New  York  the  cross  was  planted  first  by  Francis- 
can (RecoUet)  friars  from  France  ;  Le  Caron,  Viel,  Sagard,  and  La 
Roche  Dallion,  about  1625,  on  both  banks  of  the  Niagara  River 
(apparently  near  Lake  Ontario),  followed  in  1 641-2  by  the  Jesuits 
from  Quebec  (where  their  College  had  been  founded  in  1635)  up  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  across  Lake  Ontario  to  the  seats  of  the  great  Confed- 
eracy of  the  Iroquois,  in  what  are  now  the  counties  named  from  four 
of  their  five  Nations,  Oneida,  Onondaga,  Cayuga  and  Seneca.  The 
"  Relations  "of  Le  Mercier,  Dablon,  Le  Moyne  and  L'Allemant  tell 
a  wonderful  story  of  Christian  work  regardless  of  danger  and  death,  of 

it  was  undertaken.  To  sow  the  seed  of  eternal  life  in  those  heathen  lands,  he 
says,  "  must  be  the  chief  intent  of  such  as  shall  make  any  attempt  that  way  ;  or 
els  whatsoever  is  builded  upon  other  foundation  shall  never  obtain  happy  successe 
nor  continuance."  That  "it  is  the  duty  of  every  man  of  great  calling"  inclined 
to  this  enteiprise,  "to  examine  his  own  motives;  which,  if  the  same  proceed  of 
ambition  or  avarice,  he  may  assure  himself  it  cometh  not  of  God,  and  therefore 
cannot  have  confidence  in  God's  protection  and  assistance."  But  if  they  "be 
derived  from  a  virtuous  and  heroical  mind,  preferring  chiefly  the  honour  of  God, 
compassion  of  poor  infidels  captived  by  the  devil,  tyrannizing  in  most  wonderful 
and  dreadful  manner  over  their  bodies  and  souls  ;  advancement  of  his  honest  and 
well-disposed  countrymen,  willing  to  accompany  him  in  such  honourable  actions  ; 
relief  of  sundry  people  within  this  realm  distressed ;  all  these  be  honourable  pur- 
poses, imitating  the  nature  of  the  munificent  God,  wherewith  He  is  well  pleased, 
who  will  assist  such  an  action  beyond  expectation  of  man."  He  calls  his  narra- 
tive "  A  report  of  the  voyage  and  successe  thereof,  attempted  in  the  yeare  of  our 
Lord  1583  by  Sir  Humfry  Gilbert  Knight,  with  other  gentlemen  assisting  him 
in  that  action,  intended  to  discouer  and  to  plant  Christian  inhabitants  in  places  con- 
uenient  upon  those  large  and  ample  countreys  extended  northward  from  the  Cape 
of  Florida,  lying  vnder  very  temperate  climes,  esteemed  fertile  and  rich  in  Miner- 
als, yet  not  in  the  actuall  possession  of  any  Christian  prince,  written  by  Mr. 
Edward  Haies  gentleman,  and  principall  actour  in  the  same  voyage,  who  alone 
continued  vnto  the  end,  and  by  God's  speciall  assistance  returned  home 
with  his  retinue  safe  and  entire."  And  he  gives  the  oft-quoted  account  of  the 
gallant  Sir  Humphrey's  fate,  when  on  "  Monday  the  ninth  of  September,  in  the 
aftemoone,  the  frigat  [Squirril]  was  neere  cast  away,  oppressed  by  waves,  yet  at 
that  time  recouered  ;  and  giving  forth  signs  of  joy,  the  Generall  sitting  abaft  with 
a  booke  in  his  hand,  cried  out  vnto  vs  in  the  Hind  (so  oft  as  we  did  approch 
within  hearing)  We  are  as  neere  to  heauen  by  sea  as  by  land.  Reiterating  the 
same  speech,  well  beseeming  a  souldier,  resolute  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  I  can  testifie 
he  was."     Hakluyt    Voyages,  xii.  320,  322,  355  (Edinb.  1859). 


Seventeenth  Century  Missions  3 

great  success  in"  winning  these  strange  people  to  a  stranger  faith,"  of 
martyrdom  alike  of  teachers  and  converts,  for  more  than  half  a 
century  ;  but  all  perishing  in  the  end,  the  very  footprints  of  Jesuit 
missions  long  since  disappeared.*  Churches  were  built  by  the  French 
for  the  Oneidas  at  Oneida  Lake,  for  the  Onondagas  near  Manlius  or 
Jamesville,  for  the  Cayugas  at  Cayuga  Lake,  for  the  Senecas  at  Avon 
or  "  Chenussio  "  (Geneseo)  ;  and  in  1687  a  Chapel  at  Fort  Niagara, 
(Pere  Millet  its  Chaplain  then),  where  services  were  maintained  from 
time  to  time  as  long  as  French  occupancy  continued,  /.  ^.,  to  i759.t 


*  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist,  of  America,  IV.  265  ;  Turner,  Holland  Purchase,  65,  93  ; 
Clark,  Onondaga,  I.  130-208,  where  these  deeply  interesting  "  Relations  "  of  the 
Jesuit  Missionaries  are  given  at  considerable  length. 

t  Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y.  L  150,  168.     The  Fort  was  rebuilt  in  1725. 


CHAPTER  II 


ENGLISH  MISSIONS  :   MOOR  AND  ANDREWS 


EANWHILE  the  Church  of  England,  whose  services 
had  been  held  in  the  city  of  New  York  from  its  con- 
quest from  the  Dutch  in  1664,  and  gradually  extended 
into  the  neighboring  settlements  of  Long  Island  and 
New  Jersey,  was  making  some  feeble  efforts  to  send 
missionaries  to  the  Iroquois,  in  part,  no  doubt,  at  first,  to  detach 
them  from  the  French  interest.  This  work  seems  to  have  been  first 
suggested  about  1695,  by  the  Rev.  John  Miller,  Chaplain  of  the 
garrison  at  New  York  1692-5,  who  visited  Albany  and  Schenectady, 
and  on  his  return  to  England  wrote  a  historical  account  of  the  Pro- 
ince,  adding  proposals  for  the  establishment  of  a  Bishop  at  New  York, 
as  Suffragan  to  the  Bishop  of  London,  with  jurisdiction  over  New 
Jersey,  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island.  It  seems  to  be  the  first  of 
the  many  ineffectual  pleas  through  a  hundred  years  for  an  American 
Episcopate  of  Missionary  chai'acter.*  The  suggestion  for  missions 
to  the  Indians  was  renewed  in  1700  by  the  Earl  of  Bellomont,  then 
Governor  of  New  York,  whose  letter  to  the  Lords  of  Trade  was  laid  by 
them  before  the  Queen  in  Council  (April  3,  1703),  and  by  her  order 
referred  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  who  in  turn  sought  the 
help  of  the  newly  founded  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel. f 
Their  first  missionary,  the  Rev.  Thoroughgood  Moor,  reached  New 
York  in  the  autumn  of  1704,  went  immediately  to  Albany,  and  there 
met  some  of  the  Mohawk  chiefs,  who  received  him  with  great  joy  ; 
but  on  pushing  on  through  the  wilderness  fifty  miles  west,  to  Dyion- 
darogon  (or  Tiononderoga),  the  principal  Mohawk  village  or  "  Castle" 
(afterwards  known  as  Fort  Hunter),  he  was  disappointed  to  find  that 


*Eccles.  Records  of  N.  Y.  II.  1037.  Dix,  Hist.  Trinity  Ch.  I.  73.  A  fuller 
account  of  Mr.  Miller  is  given  by  the  Rev.  J.  P.  B.  Pendleton,  in  Centenn.  of 
Trinity  Church,  Utica,  1898. 

t  It  is  said  that  altar-plate  and  furniture  for  a  chapel  for  the  Onondagas  was 
sent  over  by  William  III.  in  1700.  (Clark,  Onondaga,  I.  212,  who  refers  to  "Lon- 
don Documents,"  p.  139.)  But  I  can  find  no  authority  for  this  statement,  and 
presume  that  it  is  confounded  with  Queen  Anne's  gift  of  later  date. 


English  Missions  5 

the  chiefs  would  not  commit  themselves  to  receiving  him  as  their  Min- 
ister until  they  had  consulted  the  other  Nations  of  the  Confederacy. 
The  truth  was  that  they  were  all  hesitating,  then  and  for  many  years 
later,  between  the  French  and  English  as  allies  and  protectors. 
Eventually  the  Mohawks,  under  the  wise  guidance  of  Sir  William 
Johnson,  became  not  only  firm  friends  of  England  but  devoted  adher- 
ents of  the  Church,  as  they  are  at  this  day.  Mr.  Moor  returned  to 
Albany,  and  after  a  year  of  fruitless  efforts  to  gain  the  confidence  of 
the  Iroquois,  (in  which  he  was  greatly  hindered  by  the  covetousness 
of  the  Albany  fur-traders,)*  gave  up  his  mission  in  despair. t 

The  visit  of  four  Mohawk  Sachems  to  England  in  1709  (  "  embassa- 
dors," they  are  called  by  the  secretary  of  State)1:  awakened  a  new 
interest  in  Indian  missions.  The  Society  determined  to  send  out  two 
missionaries  with  a  stipend  of  ;!^i5o  each,  and  Queen  Anne,  on  their 
application,  directed  the  building  of  a  Fort,  chapel  and  house  at  the 
lower  Mohawk  castle.  These  were  completed  by  Governor  Hunter 
in  i7i2.§  The  contract  (of  Oct.  11,  17  11)  describes  Fort  Hunter  as 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  square  and  twelve  in  height,  of  foot  square 
logs  ;  at  each  corner  a  block  house  twenty-four  feet  square  and  two 
storeys  high  ;  ''also  a  Chaple  in  the  Midle  of  the  ffort  of  twenty- 
four  foot  square  one  Storj'e  Ten  foot  high  wath  a  Garret  Over  it  well 
Covered  wth  Boards  &  Singled  &  well  flowrd  A  Seller  of 
fifteen  foot  square  under  it  Covered  with  Loggs  and  then 
with  Earth  The  whole  Chaple  to  be  well  flowrd."  The  Chapel 
was  opened  on  the  5th  of  October,  17 12,  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Bar- 
clay, the  Society's  Missionary  at  Albany  (who  had  been  directed 
to  instruct  the  neighboring  Indians,   and  had  already  received   some 


*  See  Peter  Kalm's  account  (1749)  of  the  cheating  of  the  Indians  by  these  men, 
and  its  effect  on  missions,  in  Munsell,  Ann.  Alljany,  I.  60. 

t  He  served  for  several  years  in  New  Yorlv  and  New  Jersey,  and  was  lost  at 
sea  on  returning  to  ICngland  in  1707.  John  Talbot  (of  Kurlington)  speaks  of  him 
as  "a  most  pious  and  industrious  missionary."  whose  loss  can  only  be  supplied 
by  "a  good  Bishop."   (Letter  to  Sec.  S.  P.  G.  1708.  Coll.  P.  E.  H.  S.  I.  60.) 

JTwo  of  them  noted  afterwards  as  "  King  Hendrick"  and  Brant,  the 
father  of  Joseph  Brant,  Thayendenagea. 

§\Vatson  (Annals  of  New  York,  p.  66)  says  that  Gov.  Hunter  himself  gave 
largely  to  the  building  of  the  chapel ;  that  Albany  contributed  ;[{^200,  and  most  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Schenectady  something.  But  the  description  of  the  chapel 
does  not  seem  to  agree  with  this  account. 


6  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

fifty  of  them  into  the  Church),  one  month  before  the  arrival  of  the 
Rev.  William  Andrews,  appointed  second  Missionary  to  the 
Mohawks  under  a  resolution  ' '  that  the  design  of  propagating  the  Gos- 
pel in  foreign  parts  does  chiefly  and  principally  relate  to  the  conver- 
sion of  heathens  and  infidels."  Towards  its  furnishing  the  Queen 
gave  altar-plate  and  linen,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  twelve  large 
Bibles  and  Tables  with  the  Commandments,  etc.,  and  the  Society  "  a 
Table  of  their  seal  finely  painted  in  proper  colours."*  The  Indians 
built  a  school-house,  but  objected  to  their  children  being  taught  Eng- 
lish because  it  gave  them  an  opportunity  of  learning  the  vices  of  the 
traders.  Mr.  Andrews  did  his  best,  with  the  help  of  an  interpreter, 
to  instruct  them  in  the  outlines  of  Christian  truth,  and  after  a  while 
obtained  the  assistance  of  a  Dutch  Minister  in  Schenectady,  who  had 
translated  the  English  Matins  and  Evensong,  and  some  parts  of  the 
Bible,  into  the  Mohawk  dialect.  These  were  printed  by  the  Society 
in  New  York. 

The  account  of  the  Missionary's  labours  and  trials,  in  Humphrey's 
"  History  of  the  Propagation  Society,"  is  full  of  pathos  and  interest, 
but  far  too  long  to  be  given  here.  The  traders,  the  neighbouring 
Indians  (Tuscaroras  received  by  the  Five  Nations  from  North  Caro- 
lina), and  the  French  Jesuits,  were  united  in  opposition  to  the  Church 
and  to  him,  and  after  six  years'  trial  he  wrote  the  Society  that  his 
labours  had  proved  ineffectual.  That  they  bore  some  fruit,  however, 
was  evident  by  the  better  reception  and  following  of  his  successors' 
teaching.  Some,  both  men  and  women,  were  brought  to  lead  "  more 
orderly  lives  ;  "  and  many  of  the  children  were  well  taught  despite 
their  parents'  indifference  or  unwillingness.  "Willing  to  try  what 
good  he  could  do  among  another  Nation,  he  travelled  to  the  Castle  of 
the  Oneydans,  one  hundred  miles  farther  west,"  i.  e.,  Oneida  Castle  ; 
thus  bringing  the  Church's  ministrations  for  the  first  time  within  the 
limits  of  the  old  Diocese  of  Western  New  York.      "  The  country  all 


*CoL  Doc.  N.  Y.,  V.  280.  Digest  of  S.  P.  G.,  70.  The  fort  was  enlarged  before 
1750,  but  abandoned  at  the  Revolution.  The  Chapel  was  rebuilt  of  stone,  and 
after  the  flight  of  the  Mohawks  under  Brant,  was  used  temporarily  as  a  fort ;  but 
seems  to  have  been  burned  in  Sir  John  Johnson's  invasion  of  Schoharie  in  1780. 
The  ruins  were  taken  down  (to  make  room  for  the  Erie  Canal)  in  1820,  the  glebe  (of 
300  acres)  and  parsonage  sold,  and  the  proceeds  ($4,682)  divided  between  the 
churches  at  Port  Jackson  (Amsterdam)  and  Johnstown.  (Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y. 
IV.     317;    Stone's  Brant,  II.  iii  ;  Joum.  Dioc.  N.  Y.  1836,  p.  55.) 


English  Missions  7 

the  way  was  a  vast  wilderness  of  wood  and  the  road  through  it  a  nar- 
row Indian  path.  He  was  forced  to  carry  all  necessaries  with  him, 
and  at  night  to  lie  upon  a  bear's  skin.  When  he  arrived  at  the  Castle, 
he  was  visited  by  more  than  one  hundred  people,  who  seemed  all  glad 
to  see  him  ;  he  read  several  papers  to  them  [in  Mohawk,  it  may  be 
presumed,  that  being  a  lingua  franca  among  the  Iroquois  at  that  day], 
and  after  instruction,  baptized  several."  Such  was  the  first  Mission- 
ary work  of  the  Church  of  England  in  Western  New  York.* 

*S.  P.  G.  Digest,  71.  Humphrey  (reprint  in  Ch.  Review,  Jan.  1853),  618. 


CHAPTER  III 


ENGLISH  MISSIONS  :     OGILVIE  AND  STUART 


HE  Rev.  John  Milne,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Barclay  a 
Albany  in  1728,  carried  on  Mr.  Andrews's  work 
among  the  Mohawks  with  some  success  for  nine 
years.  The  Commanding  officer  at  Fort  Hunter  in 
1737  speaks  very  strongly  of  their  improvement  under 
him.  They  are  "  very  much  civilized  "  by  their  instruction  in  the 
Christian  religion.  "The  number  of  communicants  increases  daily. 
They  are  as  peremter  in  observing  their  rules  as  any  society  of  Chris- 
tians. They  are  very  observing  of  the  Sabbath,  convening  by  them- 
selves and  singing  Psalms  on  that  day,  and  frequently  applying  to 
me  that  Mr.  Milne  may  be  oftener  among  them."* 

Henry  Barclay,  son  of  the  Rev.  Thomas,  appointed  Catechist  in 
1735,  and  ordained  in  1738,  served  at  Fort  Hunter  most  efficiently 
till  1746.  Born  and  educated  in  America,  he  could  teach  and  preach 
in  Dutch  and  Indian  as  well  as  in  English,  and  by  this  time  a  large 
number  of  Dutch  and  Irish  settlers  were  gathered  around  the  Fort. 
He  reports  an  Indian  congregation  of  above  five  hundred,  "regular 
sober  Christians,"  fifty  of  them  communicants,  and  a  great  reforma- 
tion from  the  habits  of  drunkenness  they  had  learned  from  the 
traders. t  He  was  succeeded  in  1749  by  the  Rev.  John  Ogilvie,  a 
Yale  graduate  of  1748,  who,  in  his  thirteen  years'  service  as  Mis- 
sionary, was  the  first  to  traverse  the  whole  extent  of  Western  New 
York,  from  Fort  Schuyler  (Utica)  to  Niagara  Falls.  In  1759  ^e  was 
Chaplain  of  the  "  Royal  Americans  "  -t  in  the  Expedition  which  ended 
in  the  capture  of  Fort  Niagara  by  Sir  William  Johnson. 

"  The  Mohawks,"  he  says  in  a  letter  to  the  S.  P.  G.  of  Feb.  i, 
1760,  "  were  all  upon  this  service,  and  almost  all  the  Six  Nations,  in 
the  whole  940  at  the  time  of  the  siege.  I  officiated  constantly  to  the 
Mohawks  and  Oneidoes  who  regularly  attended  Divine  Service.  The 
Oneidoes  met  us  at  the  Lake  near  their  Castle  [Oneida  Lake,]  and  as 


*Digest,  72. 
tDigest,  78. 

JA  Provincial  regiment  raised  at  Albany. 
American  Lady,"  p.  192. 


See  Mrs.  Grant's  "Memoirs  of  an 


7".  o 


English  Missions  9 

they  were  acquainted  with  my  coming,  they  brought  ten  children  to 
receive  Baptism,  and  young  women  who  had  been  previously  instructed 
came  likewise  to  receive  that  holy  ordinance.  I  baptized  them  in  the 
presence  of  a  numerous  crowd  of  spectators,  who  all  seemed  pleased 
with  the  attention  and  serious  behaviour  of  the  Indians.  During  this 
campaign  I  have  had  an  opportunity  with  some  of  every  one  of  the  Six 
Nation  Confederacy  and  their  Dependents,  and  of  every  nation  I  find 
some  who  have  been  instructed  by  the  priests  of  Canada  and  appear 
zealous  roman  Catholics,  extremely  tenacious  of  the  Ceremonies  and 
Peculiarities  of  that  Church  ;  and  from  very  good  authority  I  am 
informed  that  there  is  not  a  nation  bordering  upon  the  five  great  lakes, 
or  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  the  Mississippi  all  the  way  to  Louisiana, 
but  what  are  supplied  with  Priests  and  Schoolmasters,  and  have  very 
decent  Places  of  worship,  with  every  splendid  utensil  of  their  Religion. 
How  ought  we  to  blush  at  our  coldness  and  shameful  Indifference  in 

the  propagation  of  our  most  excellent  Religion In  this 

Fort,  there  is  a  very  handsome  Chapel,  and  the   Priest,  who  was  of 
the  order  of  St.   Francis,  had   a  commission  as  the   King's  Chaplain 

[of  France]  to  the  garrison I  performed  Divine  Service 

in  this  Church  every  day  during  my  stay  here.  "* 

Under  Lord  Amherst's  orders,  Mr.  Ogilvie  spent  the  following  winter 
(1760-1)  as  Chaplain  at  Montreal,  where  he  was  able  to  reach  the 
Caughnawagas,  a  clan  of  the  Mohawks  setded  near  that  city.  His 
residence  was  however  mostly  at  Albany,  in  charge  of  S.  Peter's 
Church,  and  with  little  time  to  give  to  the  Indian  work  at  Fort  Hun- 
ter. Mrs.  Grant  of  Laggan,  in  her  delightful  ''  Memoirs  of  an  Ameri- 
can Lady"  (Madame  Schuyler),  says  that  his  office  as  Indian  Mis- 
sionary was  rather  nominal  than  real,  but  in  Albany  he  was  "  much 
beloved  by  all  who  were  capable  of  appreciating  his  merit ;  his  appear- 
ance was  singularly  prepossessing  ;  his  address  and  manners  entirely 
those  of  a  gentleman  ;  his  doctrine  was  pure  and  scriptural,  and  his 
life  as  a  clerg)'man  exemplary,  "f  Sir  William  Johnson  writes  of  him 
as  "  one  who  has  upon  all  occasions  done  everything  in  his  power  for 


*S.  P.  G.  Digest,  153. 

t  About  1765  he  became  Assistant  Minister  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  and 
in  1 770  one  of  the  Governors  of  King's  (Columbia)  College, from  which  he  received 
degrees  of  A.M.  and  D.D.,  the  latter  also  from  Aberdeen.  He  completed  the 
translation  of  the  Prayer  Book  into  the  Mohawk  language  (begun  by  Dr.  Barclay) 
in  1769.  He  died  Nov.  26,  1774,  aet.  51.  A  fine  portrait  of  him  is  in  Doc.  Hist. 
N.  Y.  IV.  195. 


lo  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

the  promotion  of  true  Religion,"  and  asks  that  his  "  very  inconsidera- 
ble salary  "  both  as  Missionary  and  Rector  at  Albany  be  increased.  * 

Dr.  Ogilvie  was  followed  in  the  Mohawk  mission  by  the  Revs.  John 
Jacob  Oel  (1750-77),  Thomas  Brown  (1760-66)  and  Harry  Munro  f 
(1768-74,  these  last  two  Rectors  of  S.  Peter's,  Albany),  and  in  1770 
by  John  Stuart,  known  later  as  "  the  Father  of  the  Church  in  Upper 
Canada,  "t  Mrs.  Grant  introduces  him  to  us  (from  personal  knowl- 
edge) as  one  for  whom  Madame  Schuyler  "  had  the  utmost  veneration. 
Perfectly  calculated  for  his  austere  and  uncourtly  duties,  he  was 
wholly  devoted  to  them,  and  scarce  cast  a  look  back  to  the  world 
which  he  had  forsaken.  He  was  the  link  which  held  her  to  the 
Mohawks,  whom  she  now  [since  Colonel  Schuyler's  death]  saw  so 
much  more  seldom,  but  always  continued  to  love.  .  .  She  found 
much  entertainment  in  tracing  the  unfoldings  of  the  human  mind  in 
its  native  state,  and  the  gradual  progress  of  intellect  when  enlightened 
by  the  gentle  influence  of  pure  religion  ;  and  this  good  Father  of  the 
desarts  gratified  her  more  by  the  details  he  was  enabled  to  give  of  the 
progress  of  devotion  and  of  mind  among  his  little  flock,  than  he  could 
have  done  by  all  that  learning  or  knowledge  of  the  world  can  bestow.  "§ 

The  storm  of  the  Revolution  was  already  impending  when  Mr. 
Stuart  began  his  mission,  but  he  laboured  faithfully  at  Fort  Hunter 
until  long  after  most  of  the  Mohawks  had  followed  Sir  John  Johnson 
and  their  Chief  Joseph  Brant  to  Niagara  at  its  outbreak  in  1775.  He 
had  brought  them  to  daily  public  prayer  when  at  home  from  their  hunt- 
ing ;  to  come  often  long  distances  to  Holy  Communion  at  the  greater 
Festivals  ;  to  a  marked  reformation  in  habits  of  living,  especially  in 
abstinence  from  strong  liquors  ;  and  to  keep  their  children  steadily  at 
the  School  which  he  taught  with  the  help  of  a  faithful  Catechist, 
Cornelius  (?)  Bennet  (who  was  also  useful  as  a  physician).  That 
the  Indians,  both  Mohawks  and  Oneidas,  appreciated  his  excellence, 
is  shown  by  their  repeated  and  urgent  requests  that  he  might  be  per- 
mitted to  remain  among  them.  In  their  Conference  of  August,  1775, 
with  the  American  Commissioners  at  Albany,  they  call  him  "  our 
father,  the  Minister,  who  resides  among  the  Mohawks,  and  was  sent 


*N.  Y.  Col.  Doc.  VII.  43. 

t  Grandfather  of  Frances  Munro,  wife  of  Bishop  De  Lancey. 

\  Digest,  S.  P.  G.,  73,  877. 

§  Memoirs,  p.  237. 


English  Missions  ii 

them  by  the  King.  He  does  not  meddle  in  civil  affairs,  but  instructs 
them  in  the  way  to  heaven.  .  .  .  They  beg  he  may  continue  in 
peace  among  them.  ...  It  would  occasion  great  disturbance 
was  he  to  be  taken  away  .  .  .  They  would  look  upon  it  as  tak- 
ing away  one  of  their  own  body.'"  * 

But  with  the  increasing  bitterness  of  border  warfare,  Mr.  Stuart 
was  forced  to  give  up  his  work  at  Fort  Hunter  (where  a  part  of  the 
Mohawks  still  remained),  although  he  had  gathered  there  a  congrega- 
tion of  two  hundred  white  settlers,  for  whom  he  held  regular  Sunday 
services  in  English  in  addition  to  those  for  the  Indians.  He  officiated 
also  once  a  fortnight  at  Johnstown  (where  a  church  had  been  built  by 
Sir  William  Johnson),  a  service  freely  given  by  him. 

In  1777,  being  suspected  (without  reason,  as  was  afterwards  shown) 
of  correspondence  with  the  British  officers,  his  house  and  church  were 
plundered,  and  for  three  years  he  was  kept  a  prisoner  on  parole  at 
Schenectady,  and  then  allowed  to  go  to  Montreal  on  exchange  for  an 
American  officer.  On  the  termination  of  the  war  he  was  urged  to 
return  to  Philadelphia  and  to  Virginia,  but  he  was  "  resolved  not  to 
look  back,  .  .  if  it  pleased  God  to  make  him  the  instrument  of 
spreading  the  knowledge  of  His  Gospel  among  the  heathen."  In 
1785  he  removed  to  Cataraqui  (Kingston),  where  he  again  taught  a 
school,  but  from  time  to  time  visited  his  former  charge,  the  Mohawks, 
now  on  Grand  River  (Brantford)  and  at  Niagara.  He  became  the 
Bishop's  Commissary  for  all  Canada  West ;  Chaplain  to  the  first 
Colonial  Legislature  and  to  the  garrison  at  Kingston  ;  declined  an 
appointment  as  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  ;  received  from  his 
Alma  Mater,  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1799,  the  degree  of 
Doctor  in  Divinity  ;  and  from  his  Canada  friends  a  large  estate 
(4,000  acres)  of  valuable  land.  But  to  the  last  he  continued  ever 
active  in  his  labours  for  the  Indians,  which  brought  him  repeatedly 
within  the  borders  of  Western  New  York.  In  1784  we  find  him  at 
Brant's  Indian  (log)  church  near  Lewiston  (where  in  a  tree  near  by, 
hung  the  bell  given  by  Queen  Anne  for  the  now  ruined  Chapel  at 
Fort  Hunter),  preaching  to  a  congregation  (of  Mohawks,  Oneidas, 
Onondagas,  Cajaigas  and  Tuscaroras)  which  the  little  church  could 
not  begin  to  contain,  baptizing  over  one  hundred  of  them  (the  adults 

♦Speech  of   "Little    Abraham,"  a  Mohawk   Chief,  Stone's  Life  of  Brant,  I. 
447  ;   N.  Y.  Col.  Doc.  VIII.  623. 


12  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

having  been  instructed  by  the  Indian  Catechist)  and  solemnizing 
several  marriages.  "  It  was  very  affecting,"  he  says,  "to  see  these 
affectionate  people,  from  whom  he  had  been  separated  more  than 
seven  years,  assembled  in  a  decent  and  commodious  church,  erected 
principally  by  themselves,  with  the  greatest  seeming  devotion  and  a 
becoming  gravity. '  '* 

And  what  became  of  all  this  missionary  work  and  sacrifice .'  Of 
the  Oneidas  our  history  will  have  something  to  tell  much  later  on.  A 
few  years  ago  (in  1884)  it  was  my  privilege  to  meet  at  Brantford,  Dr. 
Stuart's  successor,  the  Rev.  Abraham  Nelles,  and  learn  from  him 
something  of  the  results  among  the  Mohawks  to  this  day.  I  cannot 
give  statistics  here  ;  but  there  is  a  large  body  of  the  descendants  of 
Joseph  Brant's  followers,  most  of  them  earnest  and  faithful  Church- 
men, and  in  life  and  character  far  above  what  we  think  of  as  attain- 
able by  the  Indians  under  white  rule.  This  may  be  said  indeed  of  a 
much  larger  number  of  the  Indians  in  Canada,  of  various  nations,  who 
have  been  trained  ni  the  Church,  and,  as  wards  of  the  State,  received 
what  they  so  seldom  find  among  us,  decent  and  honest  treatment. 
The  Christian  work  of  well-nigh  two  centuries  has  not  been  thrown 
away  on  them,  t 


*S.  P.  G.  Digest,  p.  154. 

Dr.  Stuart  died  Aug.  15,  iSii,  aet.  70,  at  Kingston.  "Being  six  feet  four 
inches  in  height,  he  was  known  among  his  New  York  friends  as  '  the  little  gen- 
tleman.' His  manners  were  gentle  and  conciliatory  [spite  of  the  "austere  and 
uncourtly  duties  "  of  which  Mrs.  Grant  tells  us  above],  and  his  character  was  such 
as  led  him  rather  to  win  men  by  kindness  and  persuasion,  than  to  awe  them  by 
the  terrors  of  authority.  His  sermons  found  a  way  to  the  consciences  of  those  long 
insensible  to  any  real  religious  convictions."  His  oldest  son,  the  late  Ven. 
George  Okill  Stuart,  D.D.,  LL.D.  (Harvard,  1801),  Archdeacon  of  Kingston 
and  Dean  of  Ontario,  d.  1862.  See  the  interesting  Memoir  of  Dr.  J.  Stuart  in 
Doc.  Plist.  N.  Y.,  IV.  313-22. 

t  They  still  carefully  preserve  Queen  Anne's  gifts  of  massive  altar  plate,  fine 
old  service  books,  and  delicately  embroidered  altar  linen,  now  worn  to  a  thread 
and  no  longer  available  for  every  day  use.  The  altar  plate  for  the  Onondaga 
chapel  which  was  «^/ built,  came  into  possession  of  S.  Peter's  Church,  Albany, 
where  it  is  still  to  be  seen. 


ALTAR  PLATK 
Given  by  Queen  Anne  to  Moliawk  Chapel  at  Fort  Hunter,  1712 


SITE  OF  FIRM    IMHAN  (MOHAWK)  CHURCH,  LEWISTON,   1775 


CHAPTER   IV 


PROTESTANT  MISSIONS  :  ZEISBERGER  AND  KIRKLAND 

WORD  must  be  said  of  some  other  Christian  work 
among  the  Iroquois  in  the  Eighteenth  Century.  In 
1750,  two  earnest  Moravians,  "  Bishop"  Cammer- 
hof,  and  "  Brother"  David  Zeisberger,  traversed  the 
wilderness  from  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  to  Onondaga,  where 
on  the  20th  of  July  they  obtained  permission  to  establish  themselves  as 
Missionaries.  They  returned  to  Bethlehem  before  winter,  having  bap- 
tized a  number  of  Indian  converts  ;  and  in  the  spring  of  1751  Zeis- 
berger went  back  with  two  others  (Gottfried  Rundtand  Martin  Mark) 
and  remained  about  a  year.  Again  in  1754,  and  for  many  years  after, 
he  was  at  Onondaga,  and  completed  two  Indian  grammars  (English 
and  German),  a  large  dictionary,  and  various  books  of  instruction  and 
devotion.  The  mission  was  however  abandoned  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Revolution,  and  left  no  visible  permanent  fruit.* 

Much  more  effective,  for  forty  years  at  least,  were  the  labours  of  the 
Congregationalist  Samuel  Kirkland  among  the  Oneidas. 

Born  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  1741.  and  prepared  for  college  in  Dr. 
Wheelock's  Missionary  School  at  Lebanon  (where  began  his  friend- 
ship with  Joseph  Brant,  and,  probably,  his  life-long  interest  in  the 
Indians),  he  set  out  in  November,  1764,  while  yet  a  Princeton  under- 
graduate, for  Johnson  Hall,  where  he  was  most  cordially  received  by 
Sir  William,  and  staid  till  Jan.  16,  1765  ;  then  by  a  journey  of  150 
miles  through  the  wilderness,  on  snow-shoes  (in  company  with  two 
Seneca  Indians),  he  reached  Kanadesagea  (the  "  Seneca  Castle," 
afterwards  Geneva),  in  twejity -three  days.  After  careful  explanation 
of  his  plans  and  motives,  he  was  kindly  received,  and  finally  adopted 
by  their  principal  chief.  He  remained  only  one  year  with  the  Sene- 
cas,  and  after  his  ordination  (Congregational)  as  missionary,  began  in 
August,  1766,  his  forty  years'  work  among  the  Oneidas.  He  soon 
made  himself  familiar  with  their  language,  customs  and  feelings, 
endeared  himself  to  them,  and  gained  their  confidence  more  fully, 


*J.  V.  H.  Clark,  Onondaga,  I.  220-3. 


14  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

probably,  than  any  other  of  the  white  race  ever  did.  Sympathizing 
entirely  with  the  cause  of  the  Colonies,  (at  the  loss,  of  course,  of  Sir 
John  and  Guy  Johnson's  friendship,  though  not,  it  seems,  of  that  of 
Brant,  who  is  said  to  have  saved  his  life  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revo- 
lution), he  was  able  to  render  most  important  service  in  securing  the 
neutrality  or  the  aid  of  the  Oneidas,  who  for  the  most  part,  alone  of 
all  the  Five  Nations,  continued  faithful  to  the  American  side.  During 
most  of  the  war  he  was  separated  from  his  family,  who  were  sent  for 
safety  to  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  while  he  was  serving  not  only  as  mis- 
sionary, but  as  Post  Chaplain  at  Fort  Schuyler,  and  Brigade  Chaplain 
in  Sullivan's  Expedition  of  1779  against  the  Senecas.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  resumed  his  residence  at  Oneida,  and  from  that  time 
laboured  incessantly  till  his  death  (Feb.  28,  1808),  often  visiting  the 
remoter  Indians,  as  far  west  as  Buffalo,  preaching  three  times  every 
Sunday,  and  giving  daily  instruction  wherever  he  might  be.  His 
character  and  services  were  not  unappreciated  by  his  own  countrymen  ; 
from  Phelps  and  Gorham  he  received  a  gift  of  two  thousand  acres  of 
land  ("  No.  7  "  in  Ontario  County)  and  from  the  State  of  New  York 
nearly  five  thousand  more  near  Oneida.  Out  of  the  "  Plan  of  Edu- 
cation for  the  Five  Nations  "  which  he  put  forth  in  1792,  grew  the 
Hamilton  Academy  of  1793  (subsequently  the  Hamilton  College  of 
181  o),  to  which  he  gave  a  large  endowment  in  land.  It  has  been 
well  said  of  him  that  "  few  missionaries  have  been  more  faithful  and 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  truth,  have  made  larger  sacrifices,  exposed 
themselves  to  greater  perils  and  hardships,  or  had  their  efforts  crowned 
with  a  greater  degree  of  success,  than  Samuel  Kirkland."* 


*  Clark,  Onondaga,  I.  223-9.  See  also  Lothrop,  Life  of  Kirkland,  and  num- 
erous references  and  letters  in  N.  Y.  Doc.  Hist,  and  Col.  Doc.  Kirkland  was  the 
intimate  friend  of  the  famous  Indian  preacher  Samuel  Occum  (d.  1792),  who 
officiated  occasionally  at  Oneida  and  Onondaga.  I  need  hardly  add  that  the  i6th 
President  of  Harvard,  John  Thornton  Kirkland  (Harv.  1789),  D.D.,  LL.D., 
was  a  son  of  the  great  missionary.  In  most  early  documents  the  name  is  spelled 
Kirtland. 


PART  SECOND 

DIOCESE   OF    NEW    YORK:    1785-1838 


CHAPTER    V 

THE   FIRST    SETTLERS  AND    MISSIONARIES 

UR  story  of  Colonial  days,  interesting  as  it  is  (or  as  it 
seems  to  me),  has  little  to  do  with  the  subsequent  his- 
tory of  the  Church  in  Western  New  York  ;  for  as  far 
as  we  are  concerned,  there  was  710  Western  New  York 
till  after  the  Revolution.  But  it  began  t o /'<?  within 
the  first  year  from  the  Peace.  Hugh  White  of  Middletown,  Conn, 
(great-great-grandson  of  John  of  Cambridge,  1632),  who  had  become 
in  1783  (at  the  age  of  fifty  years)  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  "Sada- 
queda  (Sauquoit)  Patent,"  now  Whitestown,  Oneida  County,  arrived 
at  his  new  home,  with  his  large  family,  June  5,  1784,  after  a  month's 
journey  mostly  by  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk  Rivers  ;  one  of  his  sons 
with  two  yoke  of  oxen  keeping  pace  with  them  all  the  way  by  land, 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Sauquoit  Creek.*  Almost  at  the  same  time  came 
James  Dean  and  Jedediah  Phelps  to  W^ood  Creek,  near  Fort  Stanwix 
(Rome);t  three  years  later  there  were  twenty-one  log  houses  in  what 
is  now  Oneida  County,  and  solitary  families  near  where  are  now  the 
cities  of  Syracuse,  Auburn  and  Geneva. 

By  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  of   New  York  of  March  7,  1788,  the 


*  Seventy-seven  years  later,  in  August,  1S61,  I  said  the  Burial  Service  at  New 
Hartford  for  Esther  (White)  Storrs,  granddaughter  of  Judge  White,  widow  of 
the  Hon.  Henry  L.  Storrs  of  Whitesboro,  mother  of  the  Rev.  Henry  S.  Storrs 
of  Yonkers,  and  grandmother  of  the  Rev.  Leonard  Kip  Storrs,  D.D.,  of  Brook- 
line,  Mass., — a  devoted  Church  woman.  She  was  theyfrj/  white  childhom  with- 
in the  limits  of  the  old  Diocese  of  Western  New  York. 

t  What  a  pity  that  the  old  historical  name,  memorial  of  the  brave  old  Irish 
General  who  built  the  Fort  "  at  the  Oneida  Carrying  Place  "  in  1758,  should  be 
lost,  and  lost  in  Rome  !  But  there  are  too  many  instances  of  such  bad  taste  in 
W.  N.  Y.  nomenclature. 


1 6  Diocese    of  Western  New  York 

County  of  Montgomery  (the  "Tryon  County"  of  the  Revolution)  was 
divided  into  seven  towns,  the  last  of  which,  named  "White's  Town," 
was  bounded  north,  south  and  west  by  the  bounds  of  the  State,  and 
east  by  a  north  and  south  line  extending  to  those  bounds,  and 
"crossing  the  Mohawk  River  at  the  Ford  near  and  east  of  the  house 
of  William  Cunningham"  (near  the  foot  of  Genesee  St.,  Utica).  This 
last  boundary  was  in  1798  extended  two  miles  east  to  the  present 
east  line  of  Oneida  County.  With  this  exception,  the  "  Town  of 
White's  Town  "  comprised  exactly  the  territory  of  the  original  Dio- 
cese of  Western  New  York,  and  contained  when  thus  set  off  a  white 
population  of  two  hundred  souls.* 

Meanwhile  the  General  Convention  of  the  Church  in  the  United 
States  had  been  organized  at  Philadelphia  on  the  ' '  Tuesday  before 
the  Feast  of  S.  Michael"  1784  ;  and  the  Diocese  of  New  York  held 
its  primary  Convention  in  New  York,  June  22,  1785,  with  the  Rever- 
end Samuel  Provoost  as  President,  the  Reverend  Mr.  [Benjamin] 
Moore  as  Secretary,  and  three  other  clergymen  and  eleven  laymen. 
Two  years  later,  on  S.  Peter's  Day  1787,  the  New  York  Convention 
(still  only  five  Priests)  welcomed  their  first  Bishop,  the  Right  Rev. 
Samuel  Provoost,  D.D.  (consecrated  at  Lambeth  Feb.  4,  preceding), 
with  Morning  Service  at  S.  .'Paul's  Chapel  (following  "  an  anthem 
suitable  to  the  occasion  sung  by  the  Charity  Scholars")  and  an  address 
of  congratulation.! 

The  earliest  action  of  the  Convention  relating  in  any  way  to  West- 
ern New  York  was  in  1796,  when  its  first  Canon  was  passed,  providing 
for  a  Committee  of  three  clergymen  and  three  laymen  "  for  Propaga- 
ting the  Gospel  in  the  State  of  New  York."$  The  Committee 
appointed  were  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Moore,  D.D.,  the  Rev.  Abraham 
Beach,  D.D.,  the  Rev.  John  Bissett  (all  Assistant  Ministers  of  Trinity 
Church),  Dr.  John  Charlton,  Hubert  Van  Wagenen,  and  David  M. 
Clarkson  (also  all  of  Trinity  Church,  though  the  last  named  was  not 
a  member  of  the  Convention  till  18 13).     The  immediate  result  of  this 

*  Spafford,  N.  Y.  Gaz.  (1813),  327.     Jones,  Oneida,  8,  819. 

tjoum.  N.  Y.  5,  18  (reprint). 

JThis  action  grew  out  of  an  "  Act"  of  the, General  Convention  of  1792  (repealed 
in  1795)  for  "supporting  missionaries  to  preach  the  Gospel  on  the  frontiers  of 
the  United  States."  It  was  repealed  because  it  was  found  that  the  object  could 
be  better  accomplished  by  the  Church  in  the  respective  States.  (Joum.  Gen. 
Conv.  1792-5,  pp.  119,  145.)     (Bioren's  Reprint.) 


^f     ^  y       -7^-y^  l-y  ^  y 

i^  ^y^itHi^y  yf^iy^ yy7-^frp^_  ^^'^  '/T-^^^^-^y  ^^z^^r^y^r^y^^ty^^y^s^ 

y     .  \ 


First  Settlers  and  Missionaries  17 

action  was  the  appointment  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Griffith  Wetmore, 
a  Lay  Deputy  from  New  Rochelle,  ordained  Deacon  by  Bishop  Pro- 
voost  May  21,  1797,  as  their  first  Missionary  in  Western  New  York, 
The  Journal  (of  1797)  tells  us  nothing  more  of  him  except  that  his 
letters  and  journal  accompanied  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  thai 
year.  So  far  as  I  can  find,  the  letters  and  journal  have  never  seen 
the  light ;  but  his  immediate  successor,  Philander  (afterwards  Bishop) 
Chase,  who  must  have  seen  them,  records  that  Mr.  Wetmore  "  travel- 
led 2386  miles,  performed  Divine  Service  and  preached  107  times, 
baptized  47  adults  and  365  infants,  and  distributed  among  the  indi- 
gent and  deserving  a  number  of  copies  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer.  f'To  learn  what  good  this  pious  man  did  by  his  ministrations 
throughout  the  State,  one  must  travel  where  he  travelled,  and  con- 
verse with  those  with  whom  he  conversed.  The  benefits  arising  to  the 
Church  of  Christ  and  to  individuals  were  apparently  many  and  great. 
He  exhorted  the  indolent,  comforted  the  desponding,  and  awakened  the 
careless  ;  in  short,  he  so  roused  the  people  from  their  lethargy,  and 
excited  them  to  a  sense  of  their  religious  duties,  that  in  the  year  fol- 
lowing there  were  incorporated  in  the  State  seven  new  congregations, 
and  Divine  Service  began  to  be  performed  in  many  places  where 
people  had  never  attempted  it  before."*  % 
^  From  other  sources  we  learn  that  Mr.  Wetmore  went  in  the  fall 
of  1797  to  Canandaigua,  where  he  received  from  some  of  its  earliest 
settlers,  such  as  Judge  Moses  Atwater  and  the  Sanborn  family,  sturdy 
Connecticut  Churchmen,  the  same  hearty  welcome  which  they  gave  a 
year  later  to  his  successor.  In  December  he  is  on  a  visit  to  the 
Oneidas  at  their  "  Castle,"  baptizing  24  of  them  ;  thence  to  Bridge- 
water,  Oneida  county,  where  he  hears  of  some  Churchmen  at  Paris 
Hill,  and  sets  out  before  daylight  for  that  place.  There  his  work  had 
been  anticipated  by  the  organization  on  the  13th  of  February,  1797,  of 
S.  Paul's  Church,  the  first  in  the  old  Diocese  of  Western  New  York. 
Eleven  men  met  to  effect  the  organization,  and  all  were  taken  into 
its  first  Vestry.  Eli  Blakeslee  (who  had  sold  his  farm  at  a  sacrifice, 
and  moved  to  Paris,  solely  to  establish  the  Church  there),  and 
Gideon  Seymour  were  the  first  Church-Wardens  of  Western  New 
York;  and  the  ninth  Vestryman  and   last  survivor  of  that  body,  Silas 


*Bishop    Chaise's    Sermon    at   Poughkeepsie,    1801,  quoted    in   his     "  Remi- 
niscences," I.  37. 


1 8  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Judd,  was  a  lay  delegate  at  the  Diocesan  Council  within  my  own 
recollection.* 

Our  first  missionary  was  not  allowed  to  see  any  further  results  of 
his  labours.  Already  in  failing  health,  he  served  for  a  short  time 
after  this  as  Rector  of  S.  George's  Church,  Schenectady,  and  going 
thence  to  the  South,  died  at  Savannah,  Georgia,  yet  a  young  man,  in 

\n     1803. t 

This  work  was  taken  up  in  the  winter  of  1798-9  by  the  Rev.  Phil- 
ander Chase,   afterwards   known   throughout  the  land  as  the  first 
great  Missionary  Bishop  of  the  West,  who  was  ordained  Deacon  in  S. 
j^V\^  lb  ■  George's  Chapel,  New  York,  May  10,  1798,  Mr.  Wetmore  receiving 

Priest's  Orders  at  the  same  time.  Mr.  Chase  records  that  on  his  way 
from  Albany  to  Western  New  York  he  preached  both  in  the  ruined 
Chapel  of  S.  Anne's  (or  Queen  Anne)   at  Fort  Hunter,  and  in  the 


*  Churchman's  Magazine,  VII.  62  (iSio) ;  Gospel  Messenger,  XVIII.  146  (Oct. 
5,  1S44),  XXVII.  190  (Dec.  16,  1853),  XLII.  78  (May  14,  1868).  "  Until  the 
spring  of  1796  there  were  but  three  Churchmen,  Uri  Doolittle,  Peter  Selleck  and 
Selah  Seymour.  Duiing  the  spring  and  summer  their  number  was  increased  to 
seven  ;  and  in  October,  at  a  company  training,  i>i  a  cart  (whence  the  church  got 
the  name  of  'the  ox-cart  church '),  they  first  had  a  consultation  about  organizing 
a  congregation,  adjourning  to  the  house  of  Selah  Seymour.  There  they  agreed 
to  meet  for  public  worship  on  the  first  Sunday  in  Advent  ;  when  Gideon  Sey- 
mour offered  prayers,  and  Eli  Blakeslee  read  a  sermon."  At  the  organization, 
in  the  same  house,  Feb.  13,  1797,  the  wardens  above  named  were  chosen,  and 
"  Uri  Doolittle,  Selah  Seymour,  Benjamin  Graves,  Thomas  Stevens,  Peter 
Selleck,  George  Harden,  Epos  Bly,  Noah  Hummaston  and  Silas  Judd,  vesti-y- 
men."  For  one  year  services  were  held  in  the  house  of  Selah  Seymour  ;  then  in 
other  private  houses  or  in  a  temporary  building  (bought  in  1799  for  $250),  until 
1808,  when  a  small  wooden  church  was  built,  supplanted  by  the  present  one  (also 
of  wood)  in  1818.  It  is  stated  that  from  the  organization  of  this  rural  parish, 
Sunday  services  have  never  been  omitted.  Nov.  9,  1798,  the  Clerk  records  that 
he  "paid  to  Mr.  Peck  twenty-two  shillings  for  keeping  church  in  his  house." 
March  28,  1807,  "  David  Wildman  was  engaged  to  sweep  and  wash  the  Church 
house  for  the  ensuing  year,  at  the  rate  twenty-three  shillings,"  to  which  salary 
$1.37  was  added  the  next  year.  Nov.  26,  1801,  a  long  subscription  list  is  found 
"  for  a  bass  viol  for  the  use  of  the  Church."  At  the  organization,  "voted,  the 
name  of  this  Church  shall  be  styled  and  called  St.  Paul's  Church,  Herkimer 
County." 

t  Sabine,  American  Loyalists;  MS.  Letter  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Payne,  of  Schen- 
ectady, 1888;  Bolton,  Church  in  Westchester,  288.  R.  G.  W.  was  grandson  of 
the  Rev.  James  Wetmore,  S.  P.  G.  missionary  at  Rye,  1724-60;  educated  for 
the  law,  which  he  abandoned  to  become  a  missionary  of  the  Church. 


First  Settlers  and  Missionaries  19 

"  goodly  Stone  Church"  of  Sir  William  Johnson  at  Johnstown,  of 
both  which  churches  the  Rev.  John  Urquhart  was  then  Rector.  At 
Oneida  Castle  (after  a  weary  journey  through  snow  two  feet  deep)  he 
found  the  "  warriors"  from  home,  but  was  welcomed  by  Shenandoah's 
"Queen,"  "Queen  Mother,"  and  "  Princess,"  in  their  "little  but 
neatly  kept  home,  sitting  round  a  fire  on  a  clean-swept  hearth,  the 
smoke  issuing  through  an  aperture  in  the  roof  without  a  chimney.  The 
royal  dames  sat  round  the  boiling  pot,  making  strings  and  garters, 
and  the  Princess  affixing  brooches  to  a  piece  of  blue  cloth  wound 
around  her  person."  He  visited  the  death-bed  of  the  Christian  inter- 
preter, an  Indian  educated  at  Dartmouth  College.  AtUtica,  with  the 
help  of  Col.  Benjamin  Walker,  the  friend  of  Washington  and  Steuben, 
he  organized  a  parish  under  the  recent  Act  of  the  Legislature  ;  but 
this  and  other  organizations  on  this  journey,  proved  only  temporary, 
and  were  afterwards  renewed.  At  Paris  Hill  he  found  the  new  parish 
well  kept  together  by  regular  Sunday  Services  held  by  lay-readers 
from  their  own  number  in  a  private  house.  At  Onondaga  he  found 
the  present  site  of  Syracuse  "  one  drear}^  salt-marsh,"  two  or  three 
cabins  for  boiling  salt,  tenanted  only  in  the  winter,  being  the  only  sign 
of  civilized  life;  but  at  "  Hardenberg's  Corners,"  now  Auburn,  he 
was  heartily  welcomed  by  the  notable  Church  family  of  the  Bostwicks, 
from  Lanesborough,  Massachusetts,  a  family  which  through  three 
or  four  generations  has  given  clergymen  as  well  as  devout  lay- 
men to  the  Church.  Services  were  held,  children  were  baptized,  and 
a  congregation  gathered,  the  nucleus  of  S.  Peter's  Church.  Later 
in  the  winter  he  reached  "  Canadahqua,"  where  the  Senecas  were 
still  lingering  around  their  old  homes  among  the  lovely  lakeside  hills 
from  which  they  believed  the  human  race  to  have  sprung.  In  the 
newly  built  Court  House  the  villagers  met  for  several  Sundays,  the 
services  resulting  in  the  organization  of  S.  Matthew's  Church,  Feb. 
4.  1799.  Seven  years  before,  at  the  burial  of  Mr.  Caleb  Walker, 
the  first  since  the  settlement  of  the  village  three  years  earlier,  the  Ser- 
vice of  the  Prayer  Book  was  read  by  the  physician,  Dr.  William 
Adams  of  Geneva,  who  was  a  Churchman  ;  this  being  the  first  instance 
known  of  any  Church  service  in  Western  New  York,  though  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  there  were  other  occasional  services  by  laymen 
nearly  or  quite  as  early,  particularly  in  Avon,  where  the  Missionary 
was     next    welcomed    by    the    well-known    pioneer   family   of    Dr. 


20  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Hosmer.  This  was  the  end  of  his  journey,  "  there  being  then,"  as 
he  says,  "no  road  to  the  West  except  an  Indian  trail  through 
the  Tonewanta  plains,  uninhabited  even  to  the  Niagara  River."  He 
therefore  "  returned  by  the  way  he  came,  visiting  the  congregations 
he  had  planted  at  Canandaigua,  Auburn  and  Utica,  and  proceeded  to 
pay  his  respects  to  Father  Nash,  in  Otsego  County."*  In  this  mis- 
sionary tour  he  says  he  had  travelled  about  4,000  miles,  baptized  14 
adults  and  319  infants,  performed  Divine  Service  and  preached  213 
times,  and  distributed  many  Prayer  Books,  Catechisms  and  tracts. 
But  these  statistics  probably  include  his  work  in  the  Eastern  part  of 
the  State.  On  his  return  he  went  to  what  was  then  known  as  the 
Oquaga  Hills,  now  Harpersville,  Broome  County,  where  was  a  little 
flock  of  Connecticut  Churchmen,  whom  he  organized  into  S.  Luke's 
Church,  the  second  permanent  parish  in  old  Western  New  York, 
April  15,  1799.1  I^^y  services  had  been  held  meanwhile  in  Manlius, 
Onondaga  County,  where  a  few  families  from  that  place  and  the 
neighboring  town  of  Pompey  used  to  "assemble  at  each  others' 
dwellings  and  conduct  worship  after  the  Episcopal  manner.  "$  An 
appropriation  for  building  a  church  at  Constantia,  Oswego  County, 
was  made  by  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  as  early  as  1797,  but 
nothing  came  of  it.§  And  in  the  last  year  of  the  eighteenth  Cen- 
tury services  are  recorded  at  Paris  Hill  by  the  Rev.  John  Urquhart  of 
Johnstown  (monthly  for  part  of  a  year)  and  by  the  afterwards 
unhappily  notorious  Ammi  Rogers,  then  of  Ballston.||      The  yellow 


*  Father  Nash  and  the  Rev.  Daniel  Buihans  were  in  Otsego  County  as  early 
as  1795,  but  did  not  officiate  in  Western  New  York  till  some  years  later. 

t  Reminiscences  of  Bishop  Chase,  I.  28-37.  Turner,  Phelps  and  Gorham's 
Purchase,  1S5,  372  .  .  At  Canandaigua,  the  good  missionary  and  future 
Bishop  incurred  some  scandal  from  the  Puritan  element  through  his  kindness  of 
heart  in  making  a  so-calledyf^/^//^  (a  little  seolian  harp,  from  a  shingle  and  some 
threads  of  silk)  for  the  children  of  his  hostess,  Mrs.  Sanborn. 

t  Clark,  Onondaga,  II.  215.  The  names  given  are  Green, Roberts,  Kurd, 
Ward  and  Dodge. 

§Berrian,  Hist.   Trinity   Church,  p.    376.     Gosp.  Mess.  XXVII.  no  (July  29, 

1853)- 

II  Gosp.  Mess.  XVIII.  146  (Oct.  5,  1844).  The  story  of  Ammi  Rogers  hardly 
belongs  to  Western  New  York ;  but  he  was  a  very  noted  (and  troublesome) 
character  for  many  years.  By  means  of  a  forged  certificate,  he  was  ord.  in  1792, 
by  Bp.  Provoost,  and  on  his  deposition  by  Bp.  Jarvis  in  Connecticut,  appealed  in 
vain  to  the  House  of  Bishops  in  1804  and  1808  (Joum.  Gen.  Conv.   Bioren.  pp. 


BENJAMIN    MOORE 
Second  Bishop   of   New   York 


First  Settlers  and  Missionaries  21 

fever  of  1798  prevented  any  meeting  of  the  General  Convention  (in 
Philadelphia)  for  that  year,  and  that  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York  was 
suspended  for  three  years,  till  1801.  partly  on  account  of  Bishop 
Provoost's  increasing  illness,  which  ended  in  his  resignation  of  his 
jurisdiction,  Sept.  3,  1801.  Only  one  ordination  was  held  by  him 
after  1798,  and  nothing  more  is  said  of  any  missionary  work  until  the 
Convention  of  October,  1802,  under  the  Second  Bishop  of  New  York, 
Benjamin  Moore,  consecrated  in  S.  Michael's  Church,  Trenton, 
New  Jersey.  Sept.  11,  1801.  With  his  Episcopate  begins  a  new  era 
of  Church  life  and  work  in  W^estern  New  York. 


225-9.  258).  For  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  his  deposition  he  wan- 
dered from  place  to  place,  preaching  and  telling  his  story  of  "persecution" 
wherever  he  could  find  hearers,  while  in  every  diocese  Church  people  were  warned 
against  him  by  their  Bishops. 


CHAPTER  VI 

DAVENPORT    PHELPS 

ITHIN  two  months  after  the  Consecration  of  Bishop 
Moore  (that  is,  Dec.  13,  1801),  he  admitted  to  Holy 
Orders  one  in  whose  short  ministry  was  wrought  a  great 
and  permanent  work  of  the  Church  in  Western  New 
York, — Davenport  Phelps. 
A  native  of  Hebron ,  Conn . ,  (born  1755,)  graduating  with  high  honours 
at  Dartmouth  in  1775,  he  immediately  entered  the  Army  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  thereafter  endured  a  long  captivity  in  J.Iontreal,  with  the 
result  of  being  an  accomplished  French  scholar.  In  1785  he  married 
Catharine,  daughter  of  Dr.  Gideon  Tiffany  of  Hanover,  N.  H.  His 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  the  Founder  and  first  President  of  Dart- 
mouth College,  and  through  this  parentage  he  became  a  life-long  friend 
of  the  great  Mohawk  chief  Joseph  Brant,  who  had  been  in  early  life  a 
pupil  of  President  Wheel ock  under  Sir  William  Johnson's  patronage. 
After  several  years  in  mercantile  business  in  Hartford, with  his  mother's 
brothers, and  two  or  three  as  a  lawyer  and  magistrate  in  New  Hampshire, 
he  removed  in  1 792  to  Niagara,  Canada  West, where,  with  James  Whee- 
lock,  he  had  obtained  a  large  grant  of  land  from  Governor  Simcoe.  He 
was  here  a  lawyer,  printer,  merchant  and  farmer  ;  but  his  great  desire 
was  to  enter  the  Ministry  of  the  Church,  and  in  December,  1797, 
Brant,  without  Mr.  Phelps's  knowledge,  and  from  his  own  anxiety  to 
secure  him  as  Missionary  to  the  Mohawks,  applied  to  Sir  John  John- 
son and  to  the  Governor  of  the  Province,  and  subsequently  to  the 
Bishop  of  Quebec,  to  accomplish  this  purpose.  He  speaks  of  Mr. 
Phelps  as  "  one  with  whose  character  and  family  he  had  long  been 
acquainted,  who  had  ample  testimonials  respecting  his  literary  and 
moral  qualifications,  and  who  would  consent  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
service  of  the  Church  among  the  Mohawks."  "Their  choice  was 
fixed  on  him  in  preference  to  any  other."  But  Sir  John  and  the  Gov- 
ernor seem  to  have  put  him  off  on  one  pretext  or  another,  the  real 
difficulty  being,  apparently,  his  service  in  the  Army  of  the  Revolution. 
At  length,despairing  of  getting  Mr.  Phelps  ordained  in  Canada,  Brant  in 
May,  1800,  addressed  letters  to  General  Chapin  of  Canandaigua  (then 


Davenport  Phelps  23 

Indian  Agent),  and  Colonel  Burr  (a  personal  friend  of  Brant,  and  then 
residing  in  New  York,  just  before  the  tremendous  political  contest  which 
made  him  Vice-President  instead  of  President  of  the  United  States), 
asking  their  aid  in  obtaining  ordination  for  Mr.  Phelps  from  the  Bishop 
of  New  York.  In  the  fall  of  the  following  year  Mr.  Phelps  presented 
himself  with  an  introduction  from  Brant  and  a  characteristic  present 
of  a  pair  of  embroidered  moccasins  for  Burr's  daughter  Theodosia, 
Mr-.  Allston.  Bishop  Coxe  has  told  us*  that  he  would  not  make  an 
earlier  application  for  American  Orders  because  he  would  be  ordained 
only  by  a  Bishop  who  believed  in  his  chosen  work,  the  work  of  Mis- 
sions. Such  a  Bishop,  Provoost  was  tiot,  and  Moore  was.  But  Phelps 
had  already  seen  Philander  Chase  at  Poughkeepsie,  and  said  to  him, 
"  You  know  I  have  long  been  attached  to  the  Church  ;  how  I  love  her 
doctrines  and  esteem  her  discipline.  I  now  tell  you  that  I  feel  it  my 
duty,  if  found  qualified,  to  seek  for  Holy  Orders.  I  am  uninformed 
how  to  proceed,  having  never  seen  any  rules  on  the  subject;  but  do 
you  think  that  the  Bishop  of  New  York  will  ordain  me?"  "  None," 
says  Bishop  Chase,  "but  such  as  knew  the  person  speaking,  and  the 
necessities  of  the  Church  at  that  day, can  imagine  the  feelings  of  pleas- 
ing surprise  which  the  above  address  occasioned.  His  suavity  of 
manners,  his  more  than  ordinary  abilities,  and  very  respectable  acquire- 
ments, and,  above  all,  his  character  for  true  piety  of  heart  and  holi- 
ness of  life,  seemed  to  constitute  him  a  God-send  to  the  Church  ;  and 
most  gladly  was  a  letter  written  to  the  Bishop,  telling  him  the  whole 
story,  and  most  earnestly  recommending  Mr.  Davenport  Phelps  for 
Orders,  "t 

And  so  he  was  ordered  Deacon  by  Bishop  Moore  on  the  Third  Sun- 
day in  Advent,  Dec.  13,  1801.  The  next  day  he  received  from  the 
Bishop  a  letter  of  Instructions  which  I  cannot  but  give  in  full,  not- 
withstanding its  length,  t 

"  Instructions  for  the  Rev.  Davenport  Phelps,  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duty  as  a  Missionary  on  the  frontiers  of  the  State. 

*  Address  at  N.  Y.  Diocesan  Centennial.  Hist.  p.  no. 

t  Reminiscences,  I.  42  ;  MS.  Life  of  Plielps  by  the  Rev.  John  C.  Rudd,  D.D. ; 
Stone,  Life  of  Brant,  IL  432-S.  (An  error  in  Stone's  Brant  in  regard  to  his  mar- 
riage is  corrected  by  Dr.  Rudd  in  the  Gospel  Messenger,  XVI.  41,  April  9,  1842.) 

X  From  the  Original  in  the  Archives  of  the  General  Convention,  Registrar's 
office,  Church  Missions  House,  New  York. 


24  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

"  Having  been  admitted  to  the  office  of  a  Deacon  in  the  Church, 
you  are  now  going  forth  as  an  Ambassador  of  Christ,  to  beseech  a 
rebelUous  world  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  No  doubt,  your  mind  is 
impressed  with  a  becoming  sense  of  your  own  infirmity,  and  of  the 
difficulty  of  the  task  which  you  have  undertaken  to  perform.  Pray 
then  without  ceasing  for  the  aid  of  Divine  grace,  which  alone  can 
effectually  strengthen  and  support  you  under  the  trials  which  you  may 
have  to  encounter. 

"In  the  performance  of  your  duty  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel 
always  remember  that  your  admonitions  and  instructions  will  have 
little  influence  upon  the  minds  of  those  who  hear  you,  unless  your 
religiovis  precepts  be  enforced  by  a  virtuous  and  pious  example. 

"  Exposed  as  you  will  be  to  the  seducements  of  a  vitious  world,  and 
to  the  malevolent  inspection  of  many  who  love  not  the  Gospel  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  you  must  be  careful  not  only  to  shun  vice,  but  to 
abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil. 

"  In  your  ministrations  to  the  Indians,  after  laying  the  foundation 
in  the  belief  of  the  existence  of  an  Almighty  Creator  and  wise  Gover- 
nor of  the  Universe  ;  endeavour  to  impress  them  with  a  proper  sense  of 
the  fallen  nature  and  actual  depravity  of  mankind.  This  will  naturally 
open  the  way  for  the  doctrine  of  atonement  thro'  a  Redeemer,  and 
sanctification  by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  you  may 
then  prompt  them  forward  to  religious  obedience,  from  a  principle  of 
love  to  their  Creator,  Redeemer  and  Sanctifier. 

' '  The  prayer-books  and  catechisms  which  are  to  be  placed  in  your 
hands,  you  are  to  distribute  in  such  manner  as  you  conceive  will 
best  promote  the  benevolent  design  of  your  mission.  Instruct  those 
who  are  able  to  read,  how  to  unite  decently  in  the  performance  of  public 
worship  according  to  the  Liturgy  of  our  Church  ;  and  be  assiduous  to 
give  a  proper  direction  to  the  minds  of  the, young,  by  diligently  teach- 
ing them  the  fundamental  principles  of  religion  according  to  our  cate- 
chism. 

"  In  the  celebration  of  public  worship,  you  are  to  confine  yourself 
to  the  established  Liturgy.  Whenever  the  service  can  be  performed 
with  decency,  you  are  to  use  the  whole  form  of  morning  and  evening 
prayer.  On  other  occasions  you  are  to  make  a  selection  of  collects 
as  circumstances  may  require  ;  but  never  to  indulge  in  extemporan- 
eous effusions. 

' '  Endeavour  to  introduce  family  worship  by  gentle  and  persuasive 
methods  ;  and  be  very  particular  in  a  devout  observance  of  the  Holy 
Sabbath,  on  which  day  you  are  always  to  perform  Divine  Service, 
unless  prevented  by  sickness  or  some  other  urgent  necessity. 

' '  Whenever  your  services  are  required  by  Indians  residing 
within  the  British  territory  you  are  to  take  care  that  your  ministra- 
tions among  them  be  conducted  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  give  the 
least  offence  to  either  the  civil  or  Ecclesiastical  Authority. 


Davenport  1'helps  25 

"  You  are  to  keep  a  regular  journal  of  all  your  proceedings,  which 
must  be  transmitted  to  me,  at  the  expiration  of  every  three  months. 
This  journal,  among  other  matters  which  you  may  think  proper  to 
communicate,  must  contain  a  Register  of  Baptisms,  Marriages,  and 
places  where  you  have  performed  Divine  Service. 
"  Benj'n  Moore 

"  Bishop  of  the 

"  Prot.  Ep.  Church 

"  in  the  State  of  New  York." 

PYom  the  above  instructions  it  would  seem  that  Bishop  Moore  con- 
templated Mr.  Phelps's  working  among  the  Canada  Indians  as  well 
as  in  New  York.  He  returned  at  once  to  Canada  (that  is,  to  his  home 
of  that  day),  and  his  first  Report  of  March  15,  1802,  is  from  "  Glan- 
ford,  U.  C."  We  give  an  abstract  of  this  and  some  later  ones  from 
the  originals  : 

1.  "Left  New  York  Dec.  17,  1801,  Hudson  Feb.  3,  1802:  officiated 
at  Herkimer  Sunday,  Feb.  7,  at  Canandaigua  (a  handsome  fiourishing 
town,  service  in  the  Court  House)  Feb.  19,  and  Sunday,  Feb.  21  ; 
Grimsby,  U.  C,  Feb.  28,  and  March  7.  The  Indians  at  Bufifaloe 
Creek  were  absent  on  hunting.  Feb.  3,  officiated  at  Hartford, 
[Avon,]  Genesee  River.  The  people  at  Canandaigua  and  Hartford 
were  anxious  for  my  return." 

2.  "June  17,  1802.  Services  in  Canada  [  /.  <?..  up  to]  May  29, 
[at  which  time]  arrived  at  Buffaloe  Creek.  Sunday,  June  13,  1802, 
first  service  at  Buffaloe  Creek,  to  white  people.  Next  day  visited 
the  Indians  by  request  of  Red  Jacket,  and  welcomed  by  him  with  a 
speech,  then  preached  to  them  and  received  thanks.  Capt.  Johnson 
reports  the  Chiefs  favourably  impressed.     Baptisms  32.  marriage  i." 

3.  "Sept.  15,  1802,  Grand  River  [Brantford],  Canada.  Services 
mostly  in  Canada  ;  the  ill  health  of  Mrs.  Phelps,  and  my  own,  prevent 
work  in  the  Genesee  Country. *"  My  work  among  the  Mohawks  in 
Upper  Canada  has  been  hindered  by  the  jealousy  of  certain  British 
officials." 

4.  "Dec.  15,  1802,  Grimsby,  U.  C.  In  October  I  visited  the 
Tuscaroras  in  their  village,  and  was  well  received.  Oct.  29,  bap- 
tized 24  of  them,  II  adults  and  13  infants.  They  promise  to  join 
the  Mohawks  to  build  a  church.  Service  again  Nov.  1 1 ,  and  services 
also  in  Grimsby,  with  good  promise." 

*  Where  the  "  Genesee  Fever  "  (fever  and  ague)  was  a  severe  affliction  at  this 
time  through  much  of  Western  New  York. 


26  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

5.  "Jan.  8,  1803,  New  Amsterdam,*  Buffaloe  Creek.  On  Christ- 
mas Day  preached  at  South  Hampton, f  twelve  miles  west  of  the 
Genesee  River;  Sunday,  [Dec]  26,  preached  at  Hartford  [Avon] 
on  the  east  side  of  the  River,  and  baptized  13  children.  Twenty-five 
miles  east,  at  Canandaigua,  a  decent  [Congregational]  minister  is 
settled,  but  thence  west,  in  New  York,  the  country  is  entirely  desti- 
tute. A  number  of  the  influential  inhabitants  are  Episcopalians,  and 
are  disposed  to  organize  the  Church.  [This  doubtless  refers  to  Can- 
andaigua, where  the  organization  by  Bishop  Chase  seems  to  have 
been  given  up.]  January  2,  at  Hartford;  Jan.  4,  29  miles  west, 
[probably  Batavia,  the  centre  of  the  Holland  Purchase,]  preached 
and  baptized  one  child  ;  Jan.  6,  22  miles  east  of  Buffaloe,  baptized 
two  children.     I  request  further  instructions." 

I  find  no  further  report  from  Mr.  Phelps  before  1804.  In  October, 
1802,  the  Committee  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  state  that  he  "  was 
employed  as  a  missionary  on  the  frontiers  of  the  State,  subject  to 
instructions  delivered  to  him  by  the  Bishop  ;  and  from  several  com- 
munications from  him  it  appeared  that  he  was  zealously  prosecuting 
the  objects  of  his  mission."!  These  communications  are  of  course 
the  reports  given  above.  In  1803  the  Journal  only  states  that  the 
Minutes  of  the  Committee,  "  and  also  communications  from  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Phelps  containing  an  account  of  his  transactions  on  his  mission, 
were  severally  read."  §  He  certainly  officiated  at  Paris,  Manlius  and 
Onondaga,  and  probably  at  Geneva  and  Clifton  Springs  (or  Phelps), 
some  time  in  1803.  ||  In  the  same  year  "  Father  Nash,  the  faithful 
missionary  of  Otsego  county,  found  his  way  to  these  few  sheep  of  the 
flock  of  Christ  in  the  wilderness  [at  Paris  Hill],  whom  he  visited  for 
about  a  year  at  intervals  of  a  month  ;  but  he  never  forgot  them  till 
the  day  of  his  death.  He  is  known  here  by  the  name  of  '  the  Apostle 
of  the  West."'1[ 


*  The  original  name  of  Buffalo  under  the  Holland  Purchase. 

t  Caledonia. 

t  Jouni.  N.  Y.  (reprint),  p.  116. 

§Id.  p.  122. 

II  The  Hon.  J.  V.  H.  Clark  says  {Gospel  Messenger,  XVI.  41,)  that  Mr.  Phelps 
held  the  first  service  in  Manlius  in  March,  1802  ;  but  his  own  journal  given  above 
(p.  67)  shows  this  to  be  an  error.  It  is  more  likely  that  this  first  service  was  held 
by  Father  Nash.  Ralph  R.  Phelps,  brother  of  Davenport,  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Manlius,  and  one  of  two  persons  who  had  the  only  Prayer  Books  in  the 
place  at  that  first  service. 

^Rev.  Isaac  Swart,  in  Gosp.  Mess.   XVIII.  146.  (Oct.  5,  1S44.) 


CHAPTER   VII 


DAVENPORT    PHELPS  :      1804  to  i8i  i 


N  October,  1804,  at  the  Eighteenth  Convention  of  New 
York,  we  have  the  first  definite  report  from  the  diocesan 
missionaries,  of  "whom  there  were  now  three  in  Western 
New  York. 

I.  Daveni^okt  Phelps.  "  From  (October,  1803,  to 
April,  1804,  the  date  of  the  last  accounts  from  him.  he  had  per- 
formed Divine  service  at  Paris,  at  Hamilton,  at  Sullivan,*  and  at 
Pompey  ;  and  at  each  of  these  settlements  had  baptized  several  child- 
ren, and  at  Paris  had  administered  the  Holy  Communion.  .  .  A 
church  had  been  organized  in  the  town  of  Manlius.  [Christ  Church, 
organized  as  Trinity  Church  in  January,  1804,  the  ////>v/ permanent 
parish  in  Western  New  York.]t  ...  He  removed  his  family  the 
last  spring  into  this  State." 

2.  "Mr.  Jonathan  Judd,  ordained  Deacon  in  February  last," 
had  officiated  among  other  places  at  "Chenango"  [S.  Luke's, 
Oquaga,  organized  by  Bishop  Chase  in  1799,  as  noted  above,  ch.  V. 
p.  52]  where  the  congregation,  though  destitute  for  several  years  of 
the  ministrations  of  the  Priesthood,  had  regularly  assembled  on  Sun- 
days, when  the  prayers  of  the  Church  and  sermons  were  read."'  He 
had  also  visited  Paris,  Camden,  Utica  and  Redfield  (all  in  Oneida 
county)  and  had  attempted  a  journey  to  "  Lowville,  a  town  on  the 
Black  River,"  but  was  obliged  to  return  on  account  of  the  badness  of 
the  road.  "  At  Utica  they  were  building  a  church;  and  at  Paris 
their  diligence  and  zeal  were  worthy  of  high  commendation."  He 
was  to  be  engaged  through  October  at  Lowville,  Onondaga,  Norwich, 
Chenango  county,  etc. 

3.  The  Rev.  Gamaliel  Thatcher  had  officiated  at  a  number  of 
places  east  of  Utica,  where  on  Tuesday,  August  14.  1804,  he  organ- 


*  Afterwards  Lenox.    These  two  are  in  Madison  county. 

t  Mr.  Phelps  organized  "S.  John's  Church,  Onondaga  Hill,"  Nov.  27,  1803, 
but  this  organization  died  out,  and  was  succeeded  in  1816  by  "  Zion  Church." 
Clark,  bnondaga,  II.  134,  215.  He  was  ordained  Priest  by  Bishop  Moore,  in 
S.  Peter's  Church,  Albany,  in  1803. 


_  (^t^rf^r  t? 


-^  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

ized  Trinity  Church,  the  fourth  permanent  parish  in  Western  New 
York.* 

thl'  y^^^^i^^^hop  and  Committee  cannot  refrain  from  earnestly  calling 
the  f^TT  .  .'  P'°^/  f  ^^  '''^^'^^  ^^^bers  of  our  communion  to 
oartsof  th'%fr  r^^'^'"'^'"^^'"^"  "^  '^'  "^^^hern  and  western 
parts  of  the  State.      They  are  earnest  and  pressing  in  their  wishes  to 

s=f]v3  f  ^  ''Tf'^  *"'  ^^"  promulgate  to  them  the  truths  of 

salvation  as  professed  by  an  Apostolic  and  Primitive  Church 

whl'nrl^'r'^nu^'^'^^'^^'^^  Treasurer  ^242,  almosi  the 
whole  of  which  will  be  necessary  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  past 

The  Journal  of  1805  gives  the  first  Parochial  Report  from  Western 
New  York,  "  S.  Paul's  Church,  Paris,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Judd  Dea- 
con, officiating  Minister;  Baptisms  5,  Communicants  45."  There 
is  nothing  about  Missions  or  Missionaries.  But  in  this  year  regular 
services  were  begun  by  Mr.  Phelps  in  Geneva,  then  a  village  of  68 
houses  and  325  inhabitants,  the  congregation  occupying  jointly  with 
the  Presbyterians  a  small  frame  building  on  the  N.  W.  corner  of  the 
square  (now  Pulteney  Park).$     About  the  same  time,  perhaps  some- 

*The  first  Wardens  were  Abram  N.  Walton  and  Nathan  Williams.     The  Church 

buildn.g   was    begun,    however,    more    than    a   year   earlier  (June    i,    ,803)  and 

^-,067.50  subscribed  for  its  completion.    (Centennial  of  Trinity  Church,  ,8qS   p 
100).  ^  -^  '  I  • 

tjoum.  N.  Y.  1804,  reprint,  p.    179. 

t  Major  James  Rees's  letter  of  Dec.  4,  1840,  Gosp.    Mess.    XLIII.  53  (April 

I,  1869        He  mentions  among  those  who  took  part  in  this  beginning  the  follow- 

'rK^'t  w°?  ^.T""^  "^""''^  J°^"  ^^^'^°'=^^^'  ^=^'^^^1  W.  Lewis,  James  Rees, 
Robert  W  Stoddard,  John  Collins,  Robert  S.  Rose,  Samuel  Colt,  Jacob  W 
Hallett,  Mrs.  Susannah  Lawson,  Mrs.  Margaret  Rose,  Thomas  D.  Burrall 
Thomas  Powell,  Abraham  Dox,  John  Woods,  Jonathan  Doane,  John  Rumsey,' 
Thomas  Lowthrop,  Jacob  Dox  and  twenty-five  others,  twenty-one  of  the  whole 
number  "with  their  families."  Of  these,  the  Nicholases,  Roses  and  Lawsons 
had  come  from  Virginia  in  1803,  with  a  large  body  of  slaves,  many  of  whose 
descendants  are  to-day  in  the  "  S.  Philip's  Church  "  of  Geneva.  Samuel  Shekells 
of  Phelps,  one  of  the  first  vestry,  was  a  Churchman  from  Maryland.  Forty  of 
the  w-hole  number.  Major  Rees  says,  were  "  Episcopalians,"  and  fifteen  commu- 
nicants. Dr.  John  N.  Norton  says  that  Judge  Nicholas,  "who  enjoyed  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  whole  community,"  officiated  as  lay-reader  for  the 
TL  p  ^^,""'^"^^"  '^^f-^  ^^-  Phelps  came  to  give  them  regular  services. 

(  Allerton  Pansh,"  p.  39.)  Bp.  G.  W.  Doane  says  that  both  wardens  were  lay- 
readers  when  Mr.  Phelps  was  absent.  (Life  by  Bp.  W.  C.  D.,  L  29 ;  Sprague 
Annals  of  Amer.  Pulpit,  V.  343.)  v .      f    s     . 


^-\ 


^SV: 


hHimH-(^ifaM^y"^ii-^i<'}Srttiitnfltli^tililiiit 


THE  FIRST  S.   PI/IF.K'S  CIHKt  H.   AllUKN 


Davenport  Phelps  29 

what  earlier,  he  had  founded  a  Mission  in  "  Aurelius,"  Cayuga 
county,  whose  principal  village  had  just  begun  to  be  called  Auburn, 
where  "  the  prospect  of  gathering  a  respectable  congregation  is  truly 
flattering,  especially  so,  when  the  moral  and  pious  habits  of  the  mem- 
bers of  this  church  are  connected  with  the  other  considerations."  /'.  e., 
the  flourishing  condition  of  the  village,  now  to  be  made  the  county 
seat.  Here  the  now  venerable  parish  of  S.  Peter's  was  organized  July 
I,  1805,*  thus  antedating  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  which  came  into 
being  as  the  sixth  Western  New  York  parish,  August  16.  1806  ;  John 
Nicholas  and  Daniel  W.  Lewis  being  the  first  Wardens,  and  Samuel 
Shekells  (of  Phelps),  John  Collins,  Robert  S.  Rose,  Richard  Hughes, 
Ralph  T.  Wood,  David  Nagle,  James  Rees  and  Thomas  Powell,  Ves- 
trymen. How  important  this  movement  was  felt  to  be  by  Bishop 
Moore,  appears  from  the  following  letter  from  him  '•  to  the  Church- 
wardens of  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  "f 

"New  York,  Nov^  9,  1806. 
"  Gentlemen: 

"  The  incorporation  of  a  protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  town 
of  Geneva,  is  a  matter  which  has  afforded  me  great  satisfaction.  As  this 
is  a  place  which  is  every  day  rising  more  and  more  into  importance, 
I  am  anxious  to  have  our  Church  established  there,  on  a  respectable 
footing  ;  for  this  purpose,  I  have  requested  Mr.  Phelps  to  pay  that 
Town,  in  future,  very  particular  attention.  Towards  his  support  we 
shall  yield  from  this  quarter  every  aid  in  our  power  ;  but  something 
must  be  done  on  your  part,  in  order  to  provide  for  him  a  decent 
maintenance.  I  am  sure  every  prudent  method  will  be  adopted  for 
the  completion  of  the  work  which  you  have  in  hand,  and  that  your 
exertion  shall  be  crowned  with  full  success,  you  shall  have  the  good 
wishes  and  hearty  co-operation  of  your  friend  and  sv«. 

■•  B.  Moore." 

•*  Favored  by  Rev''.  D.  Phelps." 


*History  of  S.  Peter's  Church  (Auburn,  1901),  p.  3.  Shortly  before  this  Wil- 
Uam  Bostwick  and  others  had  read  the  church  service  "in  the  usual  place  of 
meeting"  in  the  absence  of  the  Congregational  minister,  whose  sermon  of  the 
following  Sunday  "  was  a  severe  rebuke  to  the  worthy  men  "  who  had  thus  offi- 
ciated by  the  general  desire  of  the  people.  The  result  was  the  organization  of 
S.  Peter's  Church  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Hachaliah  Burt,  by  Mr.  Phelps,  assisted 
by  Thomas  Jeffries,  Jeduthan  Higby,  Timothy  Hatch,  Ebenezer  Phelps,  John 
Pierson,  William  Bostwick  and  Joel   Lake. 

tFrom  the  original  in  the  possession  of  the  Hon.  Geo.  W.  Nicholas  of  Geneva, 
grandson  of  the  first  Warden. 


30  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Mr.  Phelps  was  engaged  "to  preach  every  other  Sunday,"  and 
thus  became  practically,  though  not  canonically,  the  first  Rector  of 
the  Parish  ;  the  Corporation  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  contrib- 
uting ^250  annually  towards  his  salary.*  From  this  time  (and  appar- 
ently for  some  time  before)  he  "  resided  for  the  most  part  at  Geneva," 
from  this  place  making  excursions  to  various  congregations  more  or 
less  remote  ;  from  Manlius  and  Lenox  on  the  east  to  Clifton  Springs 
and  Palmyra  on  the  west,  some  ninety  miles  over  roads  often  all  but 
impassable.  "I  can  see  him,"  says  the  elder  Bishop  Doane,  then 
a  boy  of  seven  years  in  Geneva,  "  a  perfect  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  as  he  rode  up  on  his  white  horse,  putting  me  in  mind  of  Gen- 
eral Washington."  He  tells  us  also  of  the  Junior  Warden,  Mr. 
Lewis,  ' '  a  sound  and  learned  lawyer  ' '  who  ' '  came  to  church  on  horse- 
back with  his  niece  and  adopted  daughter  [whom  some  of  us  remem- 
ber so  well  in  later  years  as  the  good  wife  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Shelton  of 
Buffalo]  on  a  pillion  behind  him."t 

The  church  building,  however,  was  not  begun  till  All  Saints'  Day, 
1808  (what  an  anniversary  has  that  day  become  in  later  years  in 
Geneva  !),  from  plans  by  the  well-known  carpenter  Jonathan  Doane, 
(father  of  the  great  Bishop  of  New  Jersey,)  and  completed  (except 
the  galleries)  on  the  same  day  in  i8og  :  forty  feet  by  fifty-eight  in 
the  clear;  cost  $5,471,  (including  the  lot,  fencing  and  pavement,)  of 
which  $1,500  was  given  by  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  and  the 
remainder,  with  $1,387  for  organ,  bells  (three  successive  ones)  and 
stoves,  by  the  congregation,  t     "  On  our  Lord's  Nativity  "  that  same 

*  Bishop  Moore  says  in  his  Address  of  1808  that  "Amos  G.  Baldwin  and 
Davenport  Phelps  are  considered  as  more  immediately  attached  to  the  churches 
at  Utica  and  Geneva,  but,  at  the  same  time,  are  employed  as  missionaries  to  the 
neighbouring  destitute  congregations."     Joum.  1808,  p.  9. 

t  Life,  I.  29.  Sprague,  Amer.  Pulpit,  V.  543.  In  S.  Paul's  Church,  Buffalo, 
is  a  memorial  window  to  "  Lucretia  Stanley  Shelton,  b.  July  21,  1798,  d.  Sept. 
6,  1882."  She  was  one  of  the  Connecticut  Stanleys  of  Geneva,  and  m.  I. 
Stephen  K.  Grosvenor  of  Buffalo,  and  II.  April,  1843,  Dr.  Shelton. 

\  Major  Rees's  Notes,  1840.  Gosp.  Mess.  XLIII.  53.  I  must  add  here 
Bishop  Coxe's  vivid  description  of  the  old  church  as  he  saw  it  "when  a  college 
boy,  on  a  visit  to  Niagara  Falls,  spending  a  Sunday  in  Geneva  [in  1835].  There 
I  saw  the  little  church  of  timber,  evidently  designed  in  imitation  of  its  nursing 
mother.  Trinity  Church,  New  York.  .  .  It  was  church-like,  and  like  all 
churches  of  those  days,  the  altar  was  behind  the  pulpit,  under  the  great  window,  and 
the  pulpit  was  a  graceful  lily  on  its  stem,  at  the  head  of  the  mid-alley.     It  was 


Davenport  Phelps  31 

year,"  says  Mr.  Phelps,  "  read  prayers,  preached,  and  administered 
the  Holy  Communion  to  about  thirty  persons  at  Geneva.  At  this 
time  the  seats  in  the  church,  except  in  the  gallery,  were  nearly  all  up 
and  well  filled.  [Christmas  Day  1809  fell  on  Tuesday.]  Besides  the 
usual  hymns  for  Christmas,  the  anthem  from  S.  Luke's,  '  Behold  I 
bring  you  glad  tidings,'  etc.,  was  well  sung,  and  the  '  Gloria  in  Excel- 
sis'  chanted  by  our  choir,  which  is  now  considerably  enlarged.  The 
season  was  solemn,  interesting,  and,  I  trust,  edifying. 

"  On  every  Friday,  and  sometimes  on  Wednesdays,  when  the  duties 
of  my  mission  have  not  required  my  absence,  public  prayers  have  been 
attended  in  Geneva.  A  devout  attention  to  the  duties  of  religion  is 
paid  by  the  Churches  generally."* 

On  Whitsun  Eve,  June  9,  18 10,  the  hearts  of  the  little  congre- 
gation were  gladdened  by  the  presence  of  their  Bishop,  Benjamin 
Moore,  the  first  time  that  a  Bishop  was  ever  seen  in  the  present 
"Western  New  York, "land  by  the  consecration  of  their  church,  in 
which  service  the  Bishop  was  assisted  by  Mr.  Phelps  and  the  Rev. 
Amos  Glover  Baldwin,  another  diocesan  Missionary,  and  "preached 
a  highly  appropriate  and  interesting  sermon,"  and  confirmed  twenty- 
two  persons.! 

Meanwhile  missionary  work  was  going  on  in  other  parts  of  the 
Diocese.  Under  the  vigorous  efforts  of  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Judd,§ 
the  present  venerable  edifice  of  Trinity  Church,  Utica,  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $4,200.  ||  and  consecrated  by  Bishop  Moore  Sept.  7,  1806, 


canopied,  and  resembled  the  pulpit  of  S.  Pavl's  Chapel  in  New  York. 
The  altar,  unhappily  obscured  by  this  arrangement,  was  yet  a  'Holy  Table' 
within  its  rails,  and  by  its  very  isolation  preserved  its  character  as  eminently  the 
holy  place,  to  which  it  was  the  pulpit's  function  to  invite  the  flock  to  draw  near." 
(Quarter-Centennial  of  Central  New  York,  1S94,  p.  201.)  In  my  own  school- 
days in  Geneva,  1845-52,  the  altar,  pulpit  and  desk  were  still  in  use  in  a  chapel 
formed  in  the  crj'pt  of  the  present  church. 

♦Missionary  Report,  Joum.  1810,  p.  17. 

t  He  had  been  as  far  as  Utica,  as  we  shall  see,  in  1806. 

X  Geneva  Gazette,  June  13,  1809.  Major  Rees's  Notes.  One  of  those  con- 
firmed that  day  was  George  Hadley  Norton,  a  nephew  of  Judge  Nicholas  and 
Robert  S.  Rose,  and  for  half  a  century  one  of  the  most  noted  and  faithful  Mis- 
sionaries of  Western  New  York.  ("Allerton  Parish,"  by  his  son,  John  Nicholas 
Norton,  D.D.,  p.  29.) 

§  Ord.  Dea.  by  Bp.  Moore,  Feb.  8,  1804;   Priest,  June  24,  1807. 

II  See  Pomroy  Jones's  Oneida,  p.  570  ;  Centenn.  Trinity  Church,  100.     Samuel 


32  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

on  his  first  journey  within  the  border  of  old  Western  New  York.  On  the 
following  Sunday,  Sept.  14,  Amos  Glover  Baldwin  (afterwards  so  noted 
as  a  faithful  Missionary)  was  ordered  Deacon,  *  and  eighteen  persons 
were  confirmed.  In  the  same  week  (Sept.  10)  the  Bishop  held  his 
first  visitation  and  confirmation  at  S.  Paul's,  Paris  Hill.  And  these, 
with  the  consecration  of  18 10  at  Geneva,  are  the  only  record  I  find 
of  services  by  him  in  old  Western  New  York,  t  Mr.  Judd  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  winter  of  1806  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Baldwin,  who  remained 
in  charge  for  twelve  years  (instituted  as  Rector  May  18,  1808),  offici- 
ating, however,  from  one-third  to  one-half  the  time  in  Paris  Hill,  Fair- 
field, and  other  places  in  or  near  Oneida  county.  The  church, 
though  consecrated,  was  not  fully  completed  or  permanently  occu- 
pied till  the  end  of   18 10. 

In  1808  the  parish  received  from  Sir  James  and  Lady  Pulteney 
an  endowment  of  265  acres  of  land  in  Madison  county,  and  in  181 1, 
one  of  four  city  lots  in  New  York  (then  renting  for  $265,  but  in 
later  years  of  great  value)  from  Trinity  Church,  New  York.  The 
Madison  count}'^  lands  were  soon  sold  under  an  Act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture. $ 

S.  Peter's  Church,  Auburn,  for  which  $1,400  had  been  subscribed 
as  early  as  1806,  was  not  completed  and  consecrated  till  Aug.  22, 
181 2,  having  then  the  faithful  and  efficient  services  of  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Atwater  Clark. 

Meantime  an  interesting   Mission  had  been  growing  up  in    Phelps 


and  John  Hooker  of  Utica  were  the  builders.  Among  the  original  subscribers  were 
Benj.  Walker,  Bryan  and  Aylmer  Johnson,  James  Hopper,  Nathan  Williams, 
John  C.  Devereux,  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer,  John  Post,  Samuel  and  John 
Hooker,  Francis  A.  Bloodgood,  Hugh  White,  Jonas  Piatt,  Thos.  R.  Gold,  Wm. 
G.  Tracey,  Nathan  Butler,  and  Amos  Bronson,  mostly  of  noted  Utica  families. 

*  Bp.  Moore's  and  Bp.  Burgess's  records.  The  date  of  the  consecration  I 
find  only  in  the  Churchman'' s  Magazine  of  New  York,  III.  359  (Sept.,  1806),  taken 
from  the  Albany  Gazette,  which  says  that  "a  number  of  the  clergy  were  present 
and  assisted  the  Bishop  in  the  services  of  the  day."  The  "number"  must  have 
been  three  or  four  at  the  most. 

t  Bishop  Coxe  says  in  his  C.  N.  Y.  address  of  1894  (Joum.  C.  N.  Y.  p.  202) 
that  "an  aged  Warden"  of  S.  John's  Church,  Phelps,  remembered  a  visit  of  Bp. 
Moore  to  that  Mission  (or  perhaps  Clifton  Springs,  the  two  places  then  forming 
one  mission)  which  must  have  been,  if  ever,  in  1810.  But  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  the  visitation  remembered  was  more  likely  that  of  Bp.  Hobart  in  1815. 

\  Jones,   Oneida,  p.  572. 


S.  PAUL'S  CHrKCH.   HONKOVK  (A I.I.I  X  >   IlII.l.j 
Consen-ated  1818 


Davenport  Phelps  33 

and  Clifton  Springs,  a  little  west  of  Geneva,  under  the  name  of  S. 
John's  Church,  composed  in  1807,  of  twenty-four  Church  families. 
Mr.  Phelps  says  that  "they  are  people  strongly  attached  to  the  Church, 
of  sober,  virtuous  habits  ;  and  though  their  circumstances  are  not 
above  mediocrity,  even  for  farmers,  yet  they  are  so  earnestly  engaged 
to  be  provided  with  a  small  church,  that  they  have  raised  or  sub- 
scribed about  700  dollars,  and  hope  soon  to  increase  it  to  1000."* 

The  Journal  of  1808  gives  no  missionary  reports,  but  on  April  25  of 
that  year,  S.  Mark's  Day,  Mr.  Phelps  organized  S.  Paul's  Church, 
Honeoye,  afterwards  Richmond,  and  later,  and  now,  known  as 
Allen's  Hill. 

"Davenport  Phelps,"  says  Dr.  Norton,  in  his  charming  story  of 
"  AUerton  Parish,"  which  is  Allen's  Hill  under  a  very  thin  veil  of 
fiction,  "was  the  first  to  break  ground  for  the  Church,  and  the  more 
intelligent  portion  of  the  settlers  began  to  flock  about  him. 
Like  Father  Nash,  he  had  the  happy  faculty  of  winning  the  affections 
of  children,  whom  he  always  recognized  when  he  met  them,  and  called 
by  their  names.  The  Catechism  was  his  daily  food  for  the  lambs  of 
the  flock."  He  found  congenial  spirits  in  this  little  hamlet,  a  mere 
group  of  houses  (as  it  is  to  this  day),  making  a  centre  for  a  wide  and 
lovely  hill  country  ;  the  families  of  Nathaniel  Allen,  from  whom  the 
hamlet  had  its  name, — Samuel  Chipman,  one  of  whose  sons  was 
famous  as  a  pioneer  in  Temperance  reform,  and  another,  and  two 
grandsons,  notable  Church  clergymen,! — and  later,  Robert  L.  Rose 
(son  of  Robert  S.  of  Geneva),  and  Z.  Barton  Stout,  with  others 
equally  worthy  of  commemoration.  From  that  little  parish  in  after 
days  went  out  nine  Priests  of  the  Church  who  did  good  service  in 
their  time,  t 


*  Report,    1807,    Joum.  N.  Y.,  p.  13.     The  parish  organized  and  admitted  to 
the  Diocese  in    1807  (next  to  that  in  Geneva),  afterwards  "  died  out,"  and  was 
re-organized  at  Phelps  in  1832,  and  at  Clifton  Springs  not  till  1S74.     (Joum.  W. 
N,  Y.,  1874,  p.  139.) 
■^^ Tapping  Reeve  Chipman,  George  N.  and  Charles  E.  Cheney. 

{These  were,  besides  the  three  already  mentioned,  Orsamus  H.  Smith  (1823- 
78),  Burton  H.  ('23-44)  and  William  W.  Hickcox  ('38-69),  Charles  B.  Stout 
('37-80),  John  N.  ('45-61)  and  George  H.  Norton  ('46-93)  the  two  last,  sons  of 
the  long-time  Missionary  of  Ontario  County. "^^he  deed  of  incorporation  of  the 
Parish  (printed  for  the  "  Western  New  York  ExViibit  "  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary 
at  the  General  Convention  of  1901),  calls  the  church  S.  Paul's,  "  Honeyoy."     It 


34  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

"  S.  Paul's  Church,  Honeyoy,"  was  "received  into  union"  with 
the  Diocese  of  New  York  the  same  year  ;  S.  Peter's,  Pultneyville 
(not  a  permanent  parish),  organized  1808,  admitted  1809  ;  S.  John's, 
"  Catherine  Town,"  Tioga  (now  Schuyler)  County,  organized  1809, 
admitted  18 10;  "a church  at  Chenango  Point"  (Christ  Church,  Bing- 
hamton),  organized  181  o,  not  admitted  for  want  of  legal  evidence 
(but  promised  admission  on  legal  evidence  being  exhibited) in  181 1.* 
All  these  were  organized  by  Mr.  Phelps,  who  reports  also  in  18 10 
and  181 1  services  at  Chfton  Springs,  Auburn,  Johnstown,  (Montgom- 
ery, now  Fulton  County),  Angelica  (Allegany  County,  these  last  two 
places  being  more  than  two  hundred  miles  apart  by  the  nearest  route), 
Sheldon  (near  Batavia),  and  various  places  in  Cayuga  and  Onondaga 
Counties  ;  and  one  hundred  and  eleven  baptisms.  But  no  new 
churches  were  completed  till  some  years  later,  and  no  other  Mission- 
ary laboured  in  Western  New  York  in  Bishop  Moore's  time. 

Thus  was  the  seed  sown  for  the  abundant  harvest  which  began 
to  spring  up  in  the  Episcopate  of  John  Henry  Hobart. 

was  for  many  years  called  S.  Paul's,  "Richmond,"  that  being  from  1815  the  name 
of  the  town.  The  hillside  on  which  the  church  stands  overlooks  the  beautiful 
little  lake  of  Honeoye,  from  which  the  town  had  its  first  name  in  1808. 

*  Until  the  founding  of  Christ  Church,  the  only  minister  of  the  place  was  a 
thorough  old-fashioned  Calvinist.  In  a  pastoral  visit  to  Mrs.  Waterman,  the 
young  married  daughter  of  Gen.  Joshua  Whitney  (one  of  two  brothers  who 
founded  the  village),  he  asked  her,  "  Are  you  in  a  state  of  grace?"  "  I  hope  I 
am,"  was  her  answer.  "  Are  you  willing,  perfectly  willing  to  be  damned,  if  it  be 
God's  will.?"  "No,  I  am  not."  "Then  you  are  not  of  our  faith."  "No,  I 
am  not."  She  repeated  the  conversation  to  her  father.  "  What  creed  do  you 
prefer?"  said  he.  "I  like  the  Episcopal  Church  best,  father."  "  You  shall  be 
gratified,  my  daughter.  I  will  give  the  ground  for  a  church,  and  we  will  build  it; 
meantime,  I  shall  send  for  an  Episcopal  Minister,  and  pay  his  salary."  And  so 
he  did.  I  am  indebted  to  the  Rev.  William  S.  Hayward  for  this  story,  which 
was  told  first  in  print,  I  beUeve,  by  Mrs.  Waterman  herself. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

BISHOP    HOBART   AS    COADJUTOR,  1811-16 

IISHOP  MOORE  was  only  sixty-two,  and  in  the  tenth  year 
of  his  Episcopate,  when  his  labours  for  the  work  so  near 
his  heart  were  brought  to  an  end  by  the  first  of  succes- 
sive paralytic  strokes.  It  seems  strange  in  this  day 
that  with  his  little  physical  strength,  he  could  have  filled 
at  once  and  efficiently,  the  offices  of  Bishop  of  New  York,  Rector  of 
Trinity  Church,  and  President  of  Columbia  College  ;  and  could  have 
made  himself  personally  beloved  and  revered  by  his  whole  Diocese. 

The  election  of  a  Coadjutor  being  absolutely  necessary,  a  Special 
Convention  of  the  Diocese,  assembled  May  14,  181 1,  chose  to  that 
office  on  the  first  ballot  John  Henry  Hobart,  D.D.,  one  of  its 
youngest  members  (then  thirty-five),  but  ten  years  in  Priest's  Orders, 
and  for  the  same  time  an  Assistant  Minister  of  Trinity  Church,  New 
York.  His  consecration,  with  that  of  Alexander  Viets  Griswold, 
elected  Bishop  of  Massachusetts,  was  held  in  Trinity  Church,  New 
York.  May  29,  181 1,  by  Bishops  White,  Provoost,  and  Jarvis.* 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  this  consecration  began  a  new  era  for 
the  Diocese  of  New  York,  but  especially  for  the  Missionary  work  of 
Western  New  York.  It  is  only  in  this  last  connection  that  we  can 
enter  here  at  all  on  the  story  of  Bishop  Plobart's  wonderful  Episcopate 
of  nineteen  years  ;  and  even  that  can  be  given  only  in  outline.  His 
work  was  begun  here  "  at  a  time  of  great  trial  and  distress,  in  the  first 
disastrous  year  of  the  war  of  181 2,  felt  nowhere  more  severely  than 
through  this  region,  whose  border,  from  Niagara  to  Sackett's  Har- 


*  The  consecration  was  accomplished  with  peculiar  difficulty,  omng  to  the 
more  or  less  extreme  illness  or  inability  of  nearly  all  the  Bishops  of  that  day,  giv- 
ing rise  to  Bp.  White's  "well  founded  apprehension  that  the  American  Church 
would  be  again  subjected  to  the  necessity  of  having  recourse  to  the  Mother  Church 
for  the  Episcopacy;"  and  was  followed  by  a  bitter  controversy  springing  from  a 
disappointed  rival  of  Dr.  Hobart,  and  issuing  in  impugning  the  validity  of  his  con- 
secration on  the  ground  of  an  accidental  omission  in  the  form  of  words.  A  bulky 
volume,  which  few  have  ever  read,  survives  to  tell  the  story  on  the  side  of  the 
opponents. 


36  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

bor,  was  nearly  desolated  until  the  victories  of  Perry  and  McDonough 
turned  the  tide."* 

On  the  other  hand,  the  years  following  the  war  brought  favouring 
conditions  of  growth  and  prosperity  such  as  the  country  had  not  seen 
before  ;  the  population  increasing  in  fifteen  years  from  350,000  to 
875,000,  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  per  cent.,  in  the  territory  between 
Utica  and  Buffalo,  and  the  Church  gaining  in  that  time  at  least  three- 
fold on  the  population.  But  that  was  the  least  part  of  her  real 
growth.  The  voice  of  Bishop  Hobart  was  a  trumpet-call  such  as  the 
Church  had  not  heard  since  Seabury's  day,  and  never  in  New  York, 
to  stand  up  for  "  Christ  and  the  Church."  Four  years  before  his 
consecration  he  had  put  on  record  (at  the  close  of  his  famous  ' '  Apol- 
ogy ")  the  memorable  words  which  became  a  motto  in  after  years  for 
the  whole  American  Church, — "  My  banner  is  Evangelical  Truth  and 
Apostolic  Order."!  His  clergy,  and  especially  his  Missionaries, 
soon  felt  the  difference  between  the  tone  which  had  prevailed,  of 
timid  excuse  for  "  our  peculiarities  "  and  "  our  liturgy,"  and  that  of 
triumphant  confidence  and  enthusiasm  in  the  Divine  Constitution  and 
Mission  of  the  Church,  which  became,  from  that  time  on,  more  and 
more  the  pervading  character  of  Western  New  York  Churchmanship. 
But  he  was  felt  by  the  laity  also,  and  in  the  most  secluded  parishes  of 
his  diocese,  as  a  mighty  champion  of  the  Truth  and  Office  of  the 
Church,  and  regarded  with  a  personal  affection  and  veneration  which 
it  is  not  easy  to  realize  at  this  day. 

His  first  visitation,  reported  in  181 2,  included  all  the  churches  in 
Western  New  York  between  Utica  and  Honeoye,  and  he  specially 
mentions  a  service  in  "  Canandaigua,  in  which  place  there  are  a  few 
Episcopal  families,"  the  beginning  of  a  revival  from  the  extinct  S. 
Matthew's  of  1799.  To  the  solitary  Missionary  of  181 1  were  now 
added  William  Atwater  and  Orin  Clark,  two  of  the  three  brothers  who 
made  such  an  honourable  record  in  the  work  of  the  Diocese  through 
many  years.  $     The  elder  brother,  ordered   Deacon   in  Connecticut, 

*W.  N.  Y.  Semi-Centennial,  p.  20. 

t  The  opponent  whose  bitter  attack  on  Church  principles  brought  forth  the 
"  Apology,"  says  that  its  positions  are  "  of  such  deep-toned  horror,  as  may  well 
make  one's  hair  stand  up  like  quills  upon  the  fretful  porcupine,  and  freeze  the 
warm  blood  at  the  fountain  !  "     (Dr.  M'Vickar,  Professional  Years,  p.  254.) 

\  Sons  of  John  and  Chloe  (Atwater)  Clark  of  New  Marlborough,  Mass.,  after- 
wards of  Manlius,  N.  Y.,  and  still  later  of  Geneva.  The  mother  was  an  earnest 
Churchwoman  of  New  Haven,  of  the  same  family  as  the  pioneer  Churchman  of 
Canandaigua,  Judge  Moses  Atwater. 


Bishop  Hobart  as  Coadjutor  37 

Oct.  31,  18 10.  began  work  in  November,  181 1 ,  at  Auburn,  Manilas,  and 
Skaneateles,  visiting  also,  in  assisting  Mr.  Phelps,  various  churches 
from  Johnstown  to  Honeoye,  and  receiving  Priest's  Orders  from  Bishop 
Hobart  in  Auburn,  Sept.  5,  181 2.  The  younger,  Orin,  at  once 
became  Mr.  Phelps's  assi.stant  at  Geneva  (from  his  ordination  as  Dea- 
con by  Bishop  Jarvis,  Oct.  27,  181 1),  and  in  June,  1813,  succeeded 
him  in  charge  of  Trinity  Church,  becoming  its  first  Rector  until  his 
decease,  at  Geneva,  Feb.  24,  1828,  aet.  41.* 

S.  John's  Church,  Sheldon,  organized  in  181 1,  was  received  into 
the  Diocese  the  same  year  ;  Christ  Church,  Manlius,  organized  1804, 
in  181 2,  and  its  church  building,  the  same  now-  in  use,  of  wood,  "  as 
large  and  elegant  as  any  in  this  part  of  the  country,"  was  completed 
in  December.  18 13,  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars,  and  consecrated 
by  Bishop  Hobart  in  September,  181 5.  when  44  persons  were  con- 
firmed. Its  zealous  Missionary  (William  A.  Clark)  reports  services 
(in  18 13-14)  in  "Marcellus,  Brutus,  Mentz.  Cayuga,  Genoa,  Pompey, 
Cazenovia  "  and  other  small  places,  and  in  addition,  \ki\x\.y  funeral 
sermons  in  18 13  alone.  "  Of  the  unanimity,  the  liberality,  and  the 
attention  of  the  whole  village  to  public  worship,"  he  cannot  speak 
too  highly,  "t 

In  his  account  of  his  second  visitation,  in  18 13,  Bishop  Hobart 
gives  an  interesting  picture  of  the  little  congregation  of  S.  Luke  "  at 
the  Ochquaga  hills,  Harpersville,   Broome  county." 

' '  In  this  retired  district  a  congregation  was  organized  about  seven- 
teen years  since  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chase.  From  that  time  till  I  vis- 
ited them,  with  the  exception  of  the  services  of  the  Rev.  Jonathan 
Judd,  who,  when  a  missionary,  spent  a  few  weeks  with  them,  they 
have  only  enjoyed  three  or  four  times  the  ministrations  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Nash,  who,  amid  the  multiplicity  of  his  labours,  sought  and 
cherished  this  destitute  congregation.  And  yet  notwithstanding  these 
disadvantages,  they  have  kept  themselves  together  ;  they  have  reg- 
ularly met  for  reading  the  service  and  sermons  ;  and  I  found  among 
them  a  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  our  Church,  and  a  fervent 
attachment  to  its  doctrines  and  worship,  which  astonished  and  grati- 
fied me.  Confirmation  was  administered  to  about  thirty  persons,  and 
the  Holy  Communion  to  as  many.     Could  you  have  witnessed,  breth- 

*The  third  brother,  John  Alonzo,  was  not  ordained  till  1826.  All  three 
became  Doctors  of  Divinity,  but  were  more  distinguished  as  men  of  the  highest 
moral  and  spiritual  character. 

t  Joum.  1813,  p.  19,  and  1814,  p.  19. 


38  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

ren,  the  expressions  of  their  gratitude,  and  their  earnest  soHcitations, 
accompanied  even  with  tears,  for  only  the  occasional  services  of  a 
Minister,  your  treasure  and  your  prayers  would  have  been  poured 
forth  to  gratify  them.  I  had  not  the  treasure,  but  most  assuredly  I 
gave  them  my  prayers,  and  I  promised  them  my  best  exertions.  I 
cannot  leave  their  case,  without  applying  it  to  establish  the  import- 
ance and  inestimable  value  of  our  liturgy.  But  for  the  constant  and 
faithful  use  of  it  the  congregation  at  the  Ochquaga  hills  would  long 
since  have  become  extinct."*  --^ 

"In  noticing  the  changes  in  the  Diocese,"  the  Bishop  continues, 
"we  no  longer  perceive  in  his  place  in  this  Convention  our  venerable 
brother  the  Rev.  Davenport  Phelps.  He  has  gone  to  his  rest. 
He  is  justly  revered  as  the  founder  of  the  congregations  in 
the  most  western  part  of  the  State,  whom  he  attached  not  merely  to 
his  personal  ministrations,  but  to  the  doctrines,  the  ministry,  and  the 
liturgy  of  our  Church.  It  was  highly  gratifying  to  me  to  observe  in 
the  congregations  where  he  officiated,  the  devotion  and  decency  with 
which  the  people  performed  their  parts  of  the  public  service."!  '. . 

The  year  18 14  is  noticeable  for  the  founding  of  S.  Paul's  Church, 
Oxford,  and  S.  Andrew's,  New  Berlin,  Chenango  County,  parishes 
which  for  ninety  years  have  not  only  been  fruitful  in  missionary  work 
in  that  county  and  Central  New  York,  but  have  sent  many  a  standard- 
bearer  of  the  Church  into  the  far  West.  The  Missionaries  of  that 
year  are  William  B.  Lacey,  with  head-quarters  at  Paris  ;  William  A. 
Clark,  at  Manlius  ;  Russell  Wheeler,  at  Unadilla  ;  Alanson  W.  W^el- 
ton  at  Honeoye  and  Victor  ;  and  Amos  G.  Baldwin  at  Utica,  who 
records  first  services  at  Trenton  (Holland  Patent).  The  services  of 
these  Missionaries,  the  Bishop  says,  "  have  been  faithful,  and  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  eminently  useful." 

But  this  period  (18 13- 14)  of  Bishop  Hobart's  Episcopate  marks  the 
first  step  in  a  new  and  most  important  advance  of  the  Church  in  West- 


*  Joum.  N.  Y.  1813,'p.  13.  This  was  of  course  their  first  visit  from  a  Bishop. 
t  Mr.  Phelps's  grave,  a  short  distance  west  of  the  beautiful  little  village  of 
Pultneyville,  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  is  marked  by  a  large  slab  of  red  sand- 
stone, with  the  inscription:  "Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Davenport 
Phelps,  who  departed  this  life  on  the  27th  of  June,  1S13,  aged  57  years.  Pie 
was  for  many  years  a  Missionary  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  for  the 
western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  by  his  indefatigable  exertions  in  the 
discharge  of  all  the  duties  of  the  pastoral  office,  succeeded  in  diffusing  much 
religious  knowledge  and  in  forming  many  churches.  He  was  the  devoted  servant 
of  God,  and  the  warm  and  unwearied  friend  of  man." 
.    Mrs.  Phelps  died  at  Pultneyville,  Nov.  17,  1836,  and  is  buried  by  his  side. 


Bishop  Hobart  as  Coadjutor  39 

em  New  York.  The  Rev.  Amos  G.  Baldwin,  of  Utica  1806-18,  and 
Missionary  at  Fairfield,  Herkimer  County,  seeing,  as  he  says,  "the 
necessity  of  training  up  'the  sons  of  the  soil'  in  order  to  secure  them 
to  the  Church  and  provide  ministers  for  her  altars,"  wrote  in  18 12  to 
the  Rev.  Drs.  Beach  and  Bowden  of  New  York,  asking  a  grant  from 
Trinity  Church  for  a  "  Theological  Instructor,"  and  partial  support  for 
four  students  in  Divinity  to  be  taught  free  of  charge  in  the  Academy 
at  Fairfield.  This  grant  of  $500  a  year,  with  $250  additional  for  an 
assistant  teacher,  was  made  by  Trinity  Church  in  1813  ;  the  Rev. 
Virgil  H.  Barber  became  Rector  and  Principal,  and  Samuel  Nichols 
(ord.  Deacon  18 17)  Tutor.  Mr.  Barber  was  succeeded  in  181 7  by 
the  Rev.  Daniel  M' Donald,  under  whom,  four  years  later,  the 
"Branch  Theological  School"  (/.«?.,  branch  of  the  newly-founded 
General  Theological  Seminary),  was  transferred  by  Bishop  Hobart  to 
Geneva,  to  become  the  nucleus  of  Hobart  College.* 

It  is  only  just  to  Mr.  Baldwin  to  say  that  his  first  effort  for  the 
founding  of  this  school  was  made  in  a  letter  to  Bishop  Moore  (as 
Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York)  as  early  as  Oct.  8,  181 1.  But 
the  same  project  was  already  working  in  Bishop  Hobart 's  mind.  He 
alludes  to  it  in  his  Address  of  1 8 1 3  ;  but  some  months  earlier  he  had 
written  to  Mrs.  Startin,  of  New  York,  who  had  proposed  to  make  a 
personal  bequest  to  him,  urging  its  appropriation  to  the  founding  of 
a  theological  school,  which,  "  with  a  view  to  the  combined  objects  of 
health,  quiet,  and  facility  of  access,  he  proposed  to  place  in  a  retired 
elevated  district  known  as  'the  Short  Hills,'  New  Jersey,  near  New 
York,  [  now  the  beautiful  suburban  park  of  that  name,]  where  he  had 
some  years  before  bought  a  farm  of  ten  acres  with  a  view  to  devote 
it  to  such  an  establishment,  and  with  it,  'as  soon  as  a  favourable  oppor- 
tunity should  offer,  whatever  talents  or  zeal  he  might  possess.'  The 
Bishop  of  New  Jersey  was  to  be  associated  with  him  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  school,  and  the  whole  to  be  under  the  sanction  and  con- 
trol of  the  General  Convention."  This  plan,  which  must  have  been 
in  the  Bishop's  mind  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  Episcopate,  was 
frustrated  by  the  war  of  181 2,  and  "the  only  effect  of  the  scheme  was 
to  open  the  eyes  "  of  Churchmen  "  to  a  sense  of  its  necessity,  and 
prepare  them  for  action  under  more  favourable  auspices. " t  The  story 
of  the  foundation  at  Geneva  belongs  to  a  later  date. 


*  Thomas  D.  Burrall  (of  Geneva),  Gosp.  Mess.  XLII.  21,  37. 
t  M'Vickar,  professional  years  of  Bp.  Hobart,  335-40. 


40  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Bishop  Hobart's  visitation  of  1815  included  fourteen  W.  N.  Y. 
parishes,  from  Utica  to  "  near  the  western  frontier,"  Batavia.  In 
several  of  the  places  large  numbers  were  confirmed.  The  congrega- 
tions in  the  country,  he  says,  "  and  especially  in  its  more  remote  dis- 
tricts, display  a  zeal  worthy  of  high  commendation."  Persons  of 
moderate  wealth  have  given  the  tenth  and  the  eighth  of  their  whole 
property  to  the  building  of  churches,  besides  contributions  in  the 
same  proportion  to  the  support  of  the  Clergy.  The  missionary  ground 
of  Davenport  Phelps,  one  hundred  miles  in  diameter,  where  fifteen 
years  ago  there  was  not  one  permanent  congregation,  has  now  some 
fifteen  with  fair  prospects  of  permanency  and  prosperity.  Eleazar 
Williams,  an  educated  Indian,  is  now  Catechist  and  Schoolmaster  for 
the  Oneidas,  officiating  "  with  zeal,  fidelity  and  considerable  success," 
and  is  translating  portions  of  the  Bible  and  Prayer  Book  for  their  use. 
I  need  hardly  say  that  this  Mission  was  the  germ  of  the  noble  and 
fruitful  work  of  so  many  years  in  New  York,  and  to  this  day  at  Oneida, 
Wisconsin,  and  the  legitimate  successor  of  that  of  the  eighteenth  century 
under  Andrews,  Ogilvie  and  Kirkland.  The  Bishop  notes  with  great 
pleasure  the  increase  of  Bible  and  Prayer  Book  Societies  (especially 
one  in  "the  Western  District")  and  the  "uniform  declaration"  of  the 
Missionaries  "that  they  find  no  method  of  increasing  our  Church 
more  effectual  than  the  distribution  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer."* 

The  decease  of  Bishop  Provoost,  Sept.  6,  1815,  hardly  belongs  to 
the  story  of  Western  New  York,  which  he  never  saw,  and  is  noticea- 
ble only  as  leaving  the  Diocese  with  two  living  Bishops  instead  of 
three. t  Within  six  months  more  (Feb.  27,  t8i6)  Bishop  Moore  had 
passed  away.     Of  him  Bishop  Hobart  truly  said  at  his  burial, 

"  He  lives  in  the  memory  of  his  virtues.  He  was  unaffected  in  his 
temper,  in  his  actions,  in  his  every  look  and  gesture.  Simplicity, 
which  throws  such  a  charm  over  talents,  such  a  lustre  over  station, 
and  even  a  celestial  loveliness  over  piety  itself,  gave  its  colouring  to  the 

talents,  the  station  and  the  piety  of  our  venerable  Father 

You  have  not  forgotten  that  voice  of  sweetness  and  melody,  yet  of 
gravity  and  solemnity,  with  which  he  excited  while  he  chastened  your 


*  Joum.  N.  Y.  181 5,  pp.  13-16. 

t  A  full  and  interesting  memoir  of  him  is  given  in  the  Centennial  History  of 
the  Diocese  of  New  York,  1886,  pp.  127-141. 


Bishop  Hobart  as  Coadjutor  41 

devotion  ;  nor  that  evangelical  eloquence,  gentle  as  the  dew  of  Her- 


mon. 


♦Cent.  Hist.  Dioc.  New  York,  147.  It  was  this  Sermon  which  wa.s  afterwards 
expanded  with  its  notes,  into  the  Bishop's  noteworthy  treatise,  "The  State  of  the 
Departed,"  which  made  him  as  it  were  the  pioneer  in  the  revival  of  some  long- 
forgotten  teaching  of  the  Catholic  Church.  "When  we  reflect,"  says  Bishop 
Coxe,  "upon  the  feeble  rubric  with  which  our  American  Prayer- Book  is  disfigured 
to  this  day  [1886],  as  touching  the  Article  of  the  Creed  on  '  the  Descent  into 
Hades,'  we  may  well  admit  the  claims  of  Hobart  to  be  considered  a  Doctor  of 
our  Church,  inasmuch  as  by  the  publication  of  this  Sermon,  the  faithful  were 
established  in  the  truth,  and  the  last  traces  of  ignorance  and  feebleness 
in  this  part  of  a  good  confession  were  obliterated.  It  is  not  to  be 
forgotten,  that  while  with  consummate  tact  he  forbore  to  startle  the  Church 
with  private  opinions  that  gender  strifes,  he  has  yet  left  on  record  and  commended 
to  private  devotion  a  legitimate  prayer  for  the  faithful  departed,  such  as  the  Church 
of  England  has  never  repudiated  ;  which,  in  fact,  she  has  retained,  ambiguously, 
in  her  Offices,  though  not  more  ambiguously  than  similar  ideas  are  formulated  in 
Holy  Scripture."     Sketch  of  Bp.  Hobart,  Cent.  Hist.  Dioc.  N.  V.,  162. 


CHAPTER    IX 


SOME    EARLY   CHURCHES 


N  the  decease  of  Bishop  Moore,  the  Rectorship  of  Trinity 
Church  as  well  as  the  Episcopate  of  the  Diocese  fell 
upon  Bishop  Hobart ;  and  it  was  by  no  means  a  sinecure. 
"  He  preached  as  regularly  in  his  course,"  says  Dr. 
Berrian,  "  as  the  ministers  who  were  associated  with 
him,  and  attended  with  the  same  cheerfulness  to  every  parochial  call. 
Indeed,  he  seldom  availed  himself  of  those  opportunities  of  leisure 
which  it  might  have  seemed  he  needed,  but  took  more  pleasure  in  giv- 
ing relief  to  others  than  in  enjoying  it  himself."*  All  of  which  is  to  be 
taken  into  account  in  the  story  of  his  Episcopal  work  in  Western  New 
York. 

The  year  1815-16  witnessed  the  organization  of  eight  new  parishes, 
of  which  only  Canandaigua,  Batavia  and  Skaneateles,  grew  into 
importance,  the  others  falling  away  with  the  failure  of  the  litde  hill- 
side villages  which  were  such  a  characteristic  feature  of  the  early 
settlement  of  Western  New  York,  and  which  always,  in  course  of 
time,  descended  the  hill,  either  literally  or  figuratively.  At  Canan- 
daigua, S.  John's  Church,  a  revival  of  the  old  S.  Matthew's  of  1799, 
was  organized  by  the  Rev.  Orin  Clark  of  Geneva,  but  its  first  mis- 
sionary was  the  Rev.  Alanson  W.  Welton,  of  Honeoye,  who  after  a 
few  months'  service  was  replaced  by  the  first  Rector,  the  Rev.  Henry 
U.  Onderdonk,  M.D.,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania.  Under  his 
efficient  leadership  the  parish  grew  rapidly  in  strength  and  numbers. 
His  services  were  begun  Jan.  14,  1816  ;  on  the  6th  of  May  following, 
the  corner-stone  was  laid  of  what  Bishop  Hobart  calls  "  a  remarkably 
beautiful  and  commodious"  church,   and  which  he    elsewhere    says 

*  In  a  criticism  in  an  English  "Tlieological  Quarterly,"  called  forth  by  his 
patriotic  discourse  on  his  return  from  England  in  1825,  Bp.  Hobart  is  spoken  of 
as  "the  American  prelate  dispensing  his  Sunday  sermon  to  his  city  congregation  in 
his  fashionable  chapel,"  and  knowing  little  of  "the  life  of  the  measureless  major- 
ity of  the  clergy  of  England, — the  seclusion  in  the  remote  village,  the  separation 
from  the  habitual  excitements  of  life,  the  humble  toil,the  unvaried  and  uncheered 
consignment  to  a  rank  of  society  from  which  nothing  can  be  learned  but  resigna- 
tion."    Chr.  Joum.  XI.  324  (Oct.  1826). 


Some  Early  Churches  43 

' '  may  serve  in  some  measure  as  a  model  for  other  churches  ;  an  edi- 
fice that  attracts  the  notice  and  admiration  of  every  visitant  to  the 
beautiful  and  flourishing  village  which  it  adorns."  It  was  finished 
(free  from  debt)  at  a  cost  of  $14,000,  and  consecrated  Dec.  12  of  the 
same  year.pCA  picture  of  it  adorns  the  title  page  of  the  first  number 
of  the  monthly  magazine  begun  by  Bishop  Hobart  in  18 17.  under  the 
title  of  "  The  Christian  Journal,"  and  edited  by  him  until  his  decease 
in  1830.  To  tell  the  truth,  the  architectural  excellence  of  S.  John's 
was  pretty  much  all  in  its  front,  which  an  American  Churchman  of 
those  days  might  well  think,  with  the  Rector,  to  be  "  in  elegant  taste. ' ' 
Inside  it  was  like  all  churches  of  its  day,  almost  square,  flat-roofed, 
whitewashed,  with  enormous  windows  but  no  stained  glass;*  atone 
end  a  great  gallery  filled  (after  some  years)  with  a  really  fine  organ 
(by  Henry  Erben  of  New  York,  the  great  builder  of  his  day)  and  a 
very  ' '  mixed  ' '  and  very  capable  choir,  some  of  whose  younger  mem- 
bers lived  and  sang  when  they  had  come  to  fourscore  years. 

The  "  chancel  "  end  was  after  Bp.  Hobart 's  own  model,  (as  pub- 
lished by  him  in  the  Christian  Journal  oi  1826,)  a  survival  of  which 
may  be  seen  to  this  day  in  S.  Luke's  Church,  Rochester.  Only  at 
Canandaigua  the  pulpit,  against  the  east  wall,  was  of  such  dimensions 
that  under  it  was  contained  not  only  a  flight  of  stairs  to  the  basement 
Sunday  School  room,  but  the  entire  space  allowed  for  robing  room. 
Its  broad  front  was  covered  a  yard  deep  with  blue  broadcloth  edged 
with  gold  lace,  and  its  towering  height  was  reached  with  some  pains 
by  something  like  a  hall  stair-case  on  one  side.  In  front  of  this  was 
the  reading  desk,  of  at  least  equal  length  and  width,  with  its  similar 
decorations  of  cushions,  broadcloth  and  lace  ;  on  the  central  cushion 
a  great  folio  Bible  turned  o?ie  way,  flanked  by  two  immense  folio 
Prayer- Books  of  Hugh  Gaine's  magnificent  Standard  edition  of  1793, t 
turned  with  equal  precision  the  other  way.  (I  often  used  to  wonder 
from  our  pew,  what  would  happen  if  those  respective  positions  should 
be  reversed.)  In  front  of  the  reading  desk  was  a  little  Holy 
Table  of  cherry,  also  covered  with  blue  broadcloth  carefully 
secured    with    brass-headed    tacks  ;    and    all    this    was  enclosed    by 


*  But  they  were  painted  inside  (to  imitate  leafage,  I  thinl<),  so  that  the  glare 
was  somewhat  subdued. 

t  One  of  these  splendid  old  Prayer  Books  is  now  in  the  Library  of  the  De  Lan- 
cey  Divinity  School. 


44  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

a  semi-circular  cherry  rail,  on  whose  centre-post  stood  on  occa- 
sions of  Baptism  a  large  silver  bowl.  I  must  add  that  the 
heavy  old-fashioned  altar-plate  was  also  of  solid  silver,  and  the 
damask  linen  (my  mother's  gift,  by  the  way)  of  finest  quality ; 
and  that  in  spite  of  some  queer  old  customs  long  since  passed 
away  and  forgotten,  I  have  never  seen  in  any  church  the  Holy 
Communion  celebrated  more  reverently  and  devoutly  than  in  some 
years  in  "  Old  S.  John's."  Some  other  "  ways"  of  that  early  day 
do  seem  quaint  enough  now.  At  the  nine  o'clock  Sunday  School  the 
Rector  came  in  to  the  "  lecture  room"  in  a  flowing  silk  cassock  girded 
by  a  "surcingle"  of  the  same,  like  an  officer's  sash;  when  he 
appeared  in  church  (from  under  the  pulpit)  he  wore  over  this  a  volu- 
minous silk  gown,  and  over  this  a  surplice  of  corresponding  fullness, 
broad  black  scarf  and  white  bands.  The  "  Ante-Communion  Ser- 
vice" as  well  as  Morning  Prayer  was  usually  said  in  the  desk,  (in  which 
the  Priest  was  carefully  secured  by  an  immense  door  at  one  end,  and 
an  impassable  wall  at  the  other,)  and  I  remember  the  surprise  and 
something  like  alarm  with  which  I  saw  a  visiting  clergyman  descend 
to  the  Altar  for  this  part  of  the  Service.  Venite  Exultemus  was  sung 
heartily  but  very  deliberately  (with  a  wonderful  flourish  or  trill  on  the 
organ  at  the  beginning  and  in  the  middle  of  every  verse),  most  of  the 
year  to  the  still  familiar  "  Boyce  in  D"  (then  in  E,  by  the  way)  ;  in 
Lent  to  Langdon  in  F  ;  7>  Deum  only  on  special  days,  but  invariably 
to  Jackson  in  F;  the  other  Canticles  to  music  seldom  changed,  and 
therefore  familiar;  so  with  the  "Psalms  and  Hymns,"  the  latter 
increased  from  56  to  2 1 2  only  a  little  before  my  day.  During  the  hymn 
the  Rector  of  course  disappeared  under  the  pulpit,  and  re-appeared 
and  ascended  it  in  black  silk  (with  a  crape  "  scarf,"  however),*  and 
when  the  hymn  ended,  he  knelt  down  and  said  the  collect  ' '  Direct  us, " 
sometimes  adding  (or  prefixing)  the  Lord's  Prayer.  The  Morning 
Service  was  finished  with  a  collect  and  benediction,  the  Evensong  (not 
that  we  called  it  by  that  name),  by  a  hymn,  collect  and  blessing,  the 
Minister  remaining  through  all  in  the  pulpit.      The  offerings  (at  Morn- 


*  This  transformation  scene  was  of  course  the  point  of  most  intense  interest 
to  us  children,  though  we  never  could  see  the  "reason  why."  But  when  we 
'•had  Church"  at  home  it  was  thought  proper  that  a  silk  gown  should  be  pro- 
vided for  the  very  "little  minister,"  as  well  as  a  surplice  fashioned  out  of  a 
"  dimity  "  petticoat. 


S   JOHN'S  CHURCH,  CANANDAIGUA.  N.  Y. 
The  "  Old  Church  ";   Consecrated  1817 


Some  Early  Churches 


45 


ing  Service  only)  were  taken  (except  on  Communion  Sundays)  during 
the  hymn  before  Sermon.  "  Psalms  and  Hymns,"  by  the  way,  were 
announced,  read  through,  announced  again,  and  the  first  verse  (or  half 
of  it)  read   again,  so  there  was  no  room  for  mistake  about  it.*      j^ 

Wainwright's  "  Music  of  the  Church"  (1828)  and  Muenscher's 
"Church  Choir"  were  the  standard  music-books  of  my  day  ;  before 
that  came  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Smith's  "Churchman's  Choral  Com- 
panion to  His  Prayer  Book,"  18 15,  t  which  contained  those  familiar 
chants,  with  the  "  old  "  Gloria  in  Excelsis  (always  sung  at  Evening 
Prayer  except  on  the  last  day  of  the  month,  when  Laudate  Domifium 
(Ps.  150)  was  substituted),  credited  there  to  "  the  Edinboro  Collec- 
tion." The  surplice  was  worn  only  on  Sundays  or  great  Feasts  like 
Christmas  Day  and  Eve,  up  to  about  1843,  and  for  some  years  before 
1834  not  at  all  ;  I  well  remember  its  re-introduction  on  Christmas 
Day,  and  the  comments  of  the  congregation  on  the  inordinate  length 
of  its  sleeves. 

Night  services  (at  least  on  Sundays)  were  very  rare  ;  the  first  I 
remember  were  about  1840,  when  a  fierce  attack  on  the  Church  by  a 
Congregational  Minister  led  the  Rector  to  open  his  church  for  a  third 
service,  at  which  he  read  Chapman's  "  Sermons  on  the  Church  "  to 
the  great  satisfaction  and  decided  benefit  of  his  people.  On  Commun- 
ion Sundays,  after  the  two   o'clock  service,  the   children  were  cate- 

*  Bishop  White  says  {^Memoirs  of  the  Church,  p.  260,  ed.  1880),  that  he  was 
not  in  any  church  in  England  (in  1772  and  1787)  "wherein  the  people  stood  dur- 
ing the  singing  of  the  metre  psalms.  And  yet  it  seems  well  attested  of  late, 
(1820,)  that  the  posture  of  standing  prevails  in  London  and  its  vicinity,  and  else- 
where. The  custom  had  travelled  to  some  congregations  in  this  country, 
wherein,  until  lately,  it  is  not  probable  that  there  was  a  single  congregation  that 
stood  during  this  part  of  the  service."  Hence  the  resolution  of  the  General  Con- 
vention of  1814  (see  Journal,  Bioren,  pp.  303,  312),  "that  it  be  considered  as  the 
duty  of  ministers  of  this  Church  to  encourage  the  latter  posture,  and  to  induce 
the  members  of  their  congregations,  as  circumstances  may  permit,  to  do  the 
same ;  allowance  to  be  made  for  cases,  in  which  it  may  be  considered  inconven- 
ient by  age,  or  by  infirmity."  In  1810-11,  the  people  stood  during  the  metre 
Psalms  in  Christ  Church,  New  York,  and  in  Connecticut  ;  in  other  New  York 
churches  they  sat,  but  in  Trinity,  they  rose  and  stood  when  the  Lord's  Prayer 
happened  to  be  read  in  the  Lesson.  {^Church mail's  Magazine,  N.  Y.,  Vol.  67, 
viii,  67.)  This  last  was  a  very  old  country  custom  in  England.  See  Bp.  Words- 
worth, Notes  on  Services,  1898,  p.  57.  The  custom  of  standing  soon  became 
general. 

t  I  have  inherited  a  copy  of  this  curious  old  book  (printed  from  copper-plates). 


46  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

chised  at  the  altar  rail,  and  those  instructions  are  vivid  in  a  memory 
which  has  lost  nearly  every  word  learned  in  Sunday  School.  All  this 
detail,  utterly  unimportant  in  itself,  and  really  twenty  years  after  the 
building  of  old  S.  John's,  may  yet  have  some  interest  as  the. personal 
memories  of  a  long-past  and  almost  forgotten  day,  and  as  a  fair  type 
of  services  and  customs  general  if  not  universal  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  In  many  other  dioceses,  it  may  be  added,  the  surplice,  weekly 
Epistle  and  Gospel,  monthly  Communion,  and  chants,  were  then 
unknown,  and  in  many  parts  of  New  York  their  restoration  after  long 
disuse  was  due  to  Bishop  Hobart's  vigorous  personal  efforts.  As  late 
as  1844  the  Rector  of  the  oldest  Western  New  York  parish,  Paris  Hill, 
reports  that  "the  use  of  the  surplice  has  been  restored,"  and  "  the 
monthly  administration  of  the  Holy  Communion  introduced."* 

The  most  notable  event  of  the  year  181 7  was  the  planting  of  the 
Church  in  what  are  now  the  two  great  cities  of  the  Diocese ;  in  Buf- 
falo by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Johnston,  "Missionary  in  Genesee  and 
Niagara  Counties,"  who  came  from  Batavia  in  the  fall  of  18 16  to 
give  about  one-fourth  of  his  Sundays  to  that  "flourishing  village," 
where,  in  the  house  of  Elias  Ransom,  (father  of  that  notable  Church- 
man Judge  Elias  Ransom  of  Lockport,)  he  organized  S.  Paul's 
Church,  Feb.  10,  181 7,  with  some  twenty  families,  whose  "readiness 
to  cooperate  "  with  him,  and  "  animated  zeal  for  our  Zion  "  he  highly 
commends.  They  subscribed  at  once  $5,000  for  building  a  church, 
but  it  was  not  finished  and  consecrated  till  182 1,  seven  years  after 
Buffalo  had  begun  rebuilding  from  its  total  destruction  in  the  War  of 
1812.  Three  months  later  Mr.  Johnston  organized  S.  Mark's  Church, 
Le  Roy,  also  with  twenty  families,  "  most  of  them  regularly  nurtured 
in  the  Church,  familiar  with  her  doctrines  and  principles,  and  alive 
to  her  interests."! 

Dr.  Onderdonk,  "at  Canandaigua  and  parts  adjacent,"  reports 
among  his  missionary  labours  ' '  the  first  public  services  of  our  church 
at  Rochesterville,"   March  13,  1817,  when  twenty-eight  men  signed 

*  Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1844,  p.  75. 

t  Jour.  N.  Y.  1817,  p.  29.  He  adds  (what  we  might  not  expect)  that  "the 
utmost  hannony  prevails  in  the  different  denominations,  and  there  are  many  who 
serve  God  in  the  beauty  of  holiness."  The  first  Wardens  of  S.  Paul's  were 
Erastus  Granger  and  Isaac  Q.  Leake ;  the  first  Vestrymen,  Samuel  Tupper, 
Sheldon  Thompson,  Elias  Ransom,  John  G.  Camp,  Henry  M.  Campbell,  John 
S.  Lamed,  Jonas  Harrison  and  Dr.  Josiah  Trowbridge. 


Some  Early  Churches  47 

a  "  Declaration  of  Attachment  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ;" 
and  on  the  14th  of  July  following,  twenty  of  these  met  in  a  school- 
house  on  the  east  side  of  the  Genesee  River,  in  the  town  of  Brighton, 
Ontario  County,  and  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Onderdonk  and  the 
Rev.  George  H.  Norton,  elected  Col.  Nathaniel  Rochester  and  Sam- 
uel J.  Andrews  Wardens,  and  eight  others  Vestrymen  of  "  S.  Luke's 
Church,  Genesee  Falls."  Mr.  Norton  took  charge  of  this  infant 
parish  (having  been  ordered  Deacon  June  i),  in  connection  with 
Carthage  and  Pittsford,  with  occasional  services  at  "  Sodus  Bay, 
Vienna  "  (Phelps)  and  other  ''  adjacent  places."  It  was  vacant  in 
June,  1820,  when,  after  a  spirited  contest  with  the  Romanists  for  a 
grant  of  a  lot  (on  which  S.  Luke's  Church  now  stands)  ''  to  the  first 
religious  society  that  should  take  possession  of  the  same  and  build  a 
church  thereon,"  began  the  erection  of  a  wooden  church  38x46  feet, 
on  a  subscription  of  $1,270,  of  which  $238  was  in  cash,  the  rest  in 
"goods,"  "lumber,"  labour  ("' Blacksmithing,  Painting,  Tailoring 
work,  Shoemaking,  Hats,  Books  or  Stationery,"  &c.),  while  a  second 
subscription  of  the  same  date  for  a  "  Steeple  or  Cupola"  is  largely 
in  "  Cider  and  apples,  Tailoring  work,  Combs  at  cash  prices,  Meat, 
Saddlery,  Pork  out  of  my  Shop  "  and  other  such  commodities.  The 
church  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Hobart,  Feb.  20,  182 1,  the  Rev. 
Francis  H.  Cuming,  Deacon,  having  taken  charge  of  the  parish  a  month 
previous  for  the  term  of  one  year,  at  a  salary  of  $475.* 

This  year  (18 17)  marks  also  the  first  services  of  the  Church  at 
Vernon,  Locke,  Dryden,  Livonia,  Bridgewater,  Greene,  Bain- 
bridge,  Turin,  Boonville,  Leyden,  and  Windsor,  and  parishes 
organized  in  Turin,  Oswego,  Avon,  and  Waterloo  ;  the  missionaries 
of  that  year  being  William  A.  Clark  ("  at  Manlius  and  the  iounties 
adjacent  "),  Ezekiel  G.  Gear  (who  many  years  later  did  such  notable 
work  in  Minnesota),  Samuel  Johnston,  William  B.  Lacey,  Daniel 
Nash  (in  Chenango  County  as  well  as  Otsego,  and  among  the  Oneidas), 
Henry  U.  Onderdonk,  Joshua  M.  Rogers,  Alanson  W.  Welton,  Rus- 
sel  W^heeler,  and  the  faithful  Indian  Catechist  Eleazar  Williams,  not 
yet  "  the  Lost  Prince  "  or  even  in  Deacon's  Orders.  Would  that  we 
had  space  for  something  more  than  the  names  of  these  noble  men  ! 


*Annalsof  S.  Luke's  Church,  by  the  Rev.   Henry   Anstice,  D.D.,  pp.  7-20. 
The  wooden  church  was  replaced  by  the  present  one  of  stone  in  1825. 


CHAPTER   X 


VISITATIONS    OF    1818  :     THE    ONEIDAS 


|N  BISHOP  HOBART'S  Address  of  1817  is  an  earnest 
warning  against  the  temptation  to  substitute  all  sorts  of 
"  undenominational  "  work  in  Bible  Societies,  meetings 
for  extempore  prayer,  and  the  like,  for  the  authorized 
teaching  and  work  of  the  Church.  How  strong  that 
temptation  must  have  been  in  the  feebleness  of  the  early  missions  we 
can  well  imagine,  and  its  disastrous  consequences  are  told  in  more 
authentic  records  than  the  witty  chronicles  of  "  The  Rector  of  S.  Bar- 
dolph's."* 

"  No  opinion,"  he  says,  "  is  more  unfounded  than  that  there  is  a 
deficiency  as  to  the  means  of  pious  instruction  and  devotion  in  the 
forms  of  our  Church.  She  has  provided  Daily  Morning  and  Evening 
Prayer  ;  and  hence  her  ministers,  where  circumstances  admit  and 
require,  can  assemble  their  flocks  for  any  purposes  of  Christian  edifi- 
cation, not  only  daily,  but  twice  in  the  day,  and  lead  their  devotions 
to  Heaven  in  prayers,  to  the  use  of  which  he  hath  bound  himself  by 
the  most  solemn  obligations,  and  than  which  surely  no  one  of  her 
ministers  will  presume  to  think  that  he  can  make  better.  But  to  sup- 
pose that  our  Church,  while  she  thus  furnishes  public  edifices  for  the 
celebration  of  the  social  devotion  of  her  members,  warrants  their  meet- 
ing elsewhere,  except  where  peculiar  circumstances,  in  the  want  of  a 
public  building,  or  in  the  size  of  a  parish,  render  it  necessary  ;  or  to 
suppose  that  while  she  thus  fully  provides  in  her  institutions  for  the 
Christian  edification  of  her  members,  she  thinks  it  can  be  necessary, 
for  this  purpose,  to  have  recourse  to  private  meetings,  the  devotions 
of  which  tend  to  disparage  the  Liturgy,  and  eventually  to  lessen  the 
relish  for  its  fervent  but  well-ordered  services,  would  be  to  impute  to 
her  the  strange  policy  of  introducing  into  her  own  bosom,  the  princi- 
ples of  disorder  and  schism,  and  perhaps, of  heresy  and  enthusiasm." 
And  he  ends  with  a  large  citation  from  ' '  one  who  lived  in  times  when 
the  private  associations  commenced,  the  effects  of  which  he  deprecated, 
but  which  were  finally  awfully  realized  in  the  utter  subversion  of  the 
goodly  fabric  of  the  Church  whose  ministry  he  adorned,  and  in  the 
triumph,  on  her  ruins,  of  the  innumerable  forms  of  heresy  and 
schism."! 


*By  the  Rev.  Frederick  W.  Shelton,  LL.D.,  New  York,  1853. 
t  Joum.  N.  Y.,  1817,  p.  14. 


,UL 


VlSITATIDNS    OF     1818   :    TlIF,    OnEIDAS  49 

'I'he  reference  is  of  course  to  Richard  Hooker  (Eccl.  Polity,  V. 
XXV.  5).  I  may  add  that  Bishop  Hobart's  warnings  were  heeded  both 
by  Clergy  and  Laity,  and  largely  prepared  the  way  for  that  steady  and 
uncompromising  loyalty  to  the  teaching  and  worship  of  the  Church, 
which,  under  his  great  successor  Bishop  De  Lancey,  gave  Western 
New  York  the  title  of  '■  The  Model  Diocese."* 

The  months  of  August  and  September,  1818,  were  given  by  Bishop 
Hobart  to  one  of  those  extraordinary  visitations  of  his  great  Diocese, 
from  New  York  to  Buffalo,  the  labour  and  fatigue  of  which  cannot 
easily  be  realized  in  this  day,  when  the  very  traditions  of  old  time  meth- 
ods of  travel  have  almost  faded  out  of  memory.  Almost  the  whole 
journey  was  by  '  •  stage, ' '  at  the  rate  of  from  four  to  five  miles  an  hour, 
often  by  night  as  well  as  day  ;  the  occasional  relief  of  transition  to 
the  quietly  gliding  but  no  more  rapid  canal-boat  was  yet  far  in  the 
future.  This  journey  comprised  visitations  (in  Western  New  York 
alone)  to  Utica.  Turin  and  Lowville  ''on  the  Black  River,"  Paris, 
Oneida,  Manlius,  Onondaga,  Auburn,  Geneva,  Pultneyville  on  Lake 
Ontario,  Canandaigua,  Victor,  Pittsford,  Honeoye,  Avon,  Rochester, 
Penfield,  Batavia  and  Buffalo  ;  the  consecration  of  three  churches,  and 
several  ordinations.  Among  the  consecrations  was  the  little  church 
(S.  Paul's)  at  Allen's  Hill,  now  complete  after  eight  years'  hard  work, 
whose  story  has  been  told  so  delightfully  by  Dr.  John  N.  Norton  in 
"  Allerton  Parish."  But  by  far  the  most  interesting  event  of  the 
visitation  was  the  service  for  the  Oneida  Indians,  which  may  best  be 
told  in  the  Bishop's  own  words. 

"  It  is  a  subject  of  congratulation  that  our  Church  has  resumed  the 
labours  which,  for  a  long  period  before  the  Revolutionary  War,  the 
Society  in  England  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts 
directed  to  the  religious  instruction  of  the  Indian  tribes.  Those 
labours  were  not  wholly  unsuccessful  ;  for  on  my  recent  visit  to  the 
Oneidas,  I  saw  an  aged  Mohawk,  who.  firm  in  the  faith  of  the  Gospel, 
and  adorning  his  profession  by  an  exemplary  life,  is  indebted,  under 
the  Divine  blessing,  for  his  Chri.stian  principles  and  hopes,  to  the 
Missionaries  of  the  Venerable  Society.  The  exertions  more  recently 
made  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indian  tribes,  have  not  been  so  suc- 
cessful, partly  because  not  united  with  efforts  to  introduce    among 

*  The  venerable  John  .^dams  of  Lyons  told  me  many  years  ago  that  he  learned 
his  Church  principles,  as  well  as  his  deep  love  for  all  her ser\ices,  from  Bishop 
Hobart's  teaching  as  reflected  in  the  lay-members  of  old  S.  John's,  Canandaigua, 
and  especially,  I  may  add,  from  my  own  mother,  one  of  its  earliest  communicants. 


50  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

them  those  arts  of  civilization,  without  which  the  Gospel  can  neither 
be  understood  nor  valued  ;  but  principally  because  religious  instruc- 
tion was  conveyed  through  the  imperfect  medium  of  interpreters,  by 
those  unacquainted  with  their  dispositions  and  habits,  and  in  whom 
they  were  not  disposed  to  place  the  same  confidence,  as  in  those  who 
are  connected  with  them  by  the  powerful  ties  of  language,  of  man- 
ners, and  of  kindred.  The  religious  instructor  of  the  Oneidas 
employed  by  our  Church  enjoys  all  these  advantages.  Being  of 
Indian  extraction,  and  acquainted  with  their  language,  dispositions, 
and  customs,  and  devoting  himself  unremittingly  to  their  spiritual  and 
temporal  welfare,  he  enjoys  their  full  confidence  ;  while  the  educa- 
tion which  he  has  received  has  increased  his  qualifications  as  their 
guide  in  the  faith  and  precepts  of  the  Gospel.  Mr.  Eleazar  Wil- 
liams, at  the  earnest  request  of  the  Oneida  chiefs,  was  licensed  by 
me  about  two  years  since,  as  their  Lay  Reader,  Catechist,  and 
Schoolmaster.  Educated  in  a  different  Communion,  he  connected 
himself  with  our  Church  from  conviction,  and  appears  warmly  attached 
to  her  doctrines,  her  Apostolic  ministry,  and  her  worship.  Soon 
after  he  commenced  his  labours  among  the  Oneidas,  the  Pagan  party 
solemnly  professed  the  Christian  faith.  Mr.  Williams  repeatedly 
explained  to  them  in  councils  which  they  held  for  this  purpose,  the 
evidences  of  the  Divine  origin  of  Christianity,  and  its  doctrines,  insti- 
tutions, and  precepts.  He  combated  their  objections,  patiently 
answered  their  inquiries,  and  was  finally,  through  the  Divine  bless- 
ing, successful  in  satisfying  their  doubts.  Soon  after  their  conver- 
sion, they  appropriated,  in  conjunction  with  the  old  Christian  party, 
the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  some  of  their  lands  to  the  erection  of  an 
handsome  edifice  for  Divine  worship,  which  will  be  shortly  completed. 
"  In  the  work  of  their  spiritual  instruction,  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  a  principal  part  of  which  has  been  translated  for  their  use, 
proves  a  powerful  auxiliary.  Its  simple  and  affecting  exhibition  of 
the  truths  of  redemption  is  calculated  to  interest  their  hearts,  while 
it  informs  their  understanding  ;  and  its  decent  and  significant  rites 
contribute  to  fix  their  attention  in  the  exercises  of  worship.  They  are 
particularly  gratified  with  having  parts  assigned  them  in  the  service, 
and  repeat  the  responses  with  great  propriety  and  devotion.  On  my 
visit  to  them,  several  hundred  assembled  for  worship  ;  those  who  could 
read  were  furnished  with  books  ;  and  they  uttered  the  confessions  of 
the  liturgy,  responded  its  supplications,  and  chanted  its  hymns  of  praise, 
with  a  reverence  and  fervour  which  powerfully  interested  the  feelings 
of  those  who  witnessed  the  solemnity.  They  listened  to  my  Address 
to  them,  interpreted  by  Mr.  Williams,  with  so  much  solicitous  atten- 
tion ;  they  received  the  laying  on  of  hands  with  such  grateful  humil- 
ity ;  and  participated  of  the  symbols  of  their  Saviour's  love  with  such 
tears  of  penitential  devotion,  that  the  impression  which  the  scene 
made  on  my  mind  will  never  be  effaced.     Nor  was  this  the  excitement 


Visitations  of   1818  :  The  Oneidas  51 

of  the  moment,  or  the  ebuHition  of  enthusiasm.  The  eighty-nine 
who  were  confirmed,hacl  been  well  instructed  by  Mr.Williams;  and  none 
were  permitted  to  approach  the  Communion,  whose  lives  did  not  cor- 
respond with  their  Christian  profession.  .  .  .  I  have  admitted 
Mr.  Williams  as  a  Candidate  for  Orders,  and  look  forward  to  his 
increased  usefulness,  should  he  be  invested  with  the  office  of  the 
Ministry."* 

Of  Mr.  Williams'  subsequent  work,  and  the  after  history  of  the 
Mission,  something  will  be  said  further  on.  The  Bishop  goes  on  to 
speak  of  a  young  Onondaga  chief  who  was  at  this  time  beginning  a 
course  of  instruction  to  fit  him  to  become  a  missionary  to  his  own 
people.  The  history  of  this  young  man,  known  aftenvards  as  Abram 
La  Fort,  is  a  very  sad  one.  Under  Bishop  Hobart's  patronage,  he 
was  educated  partly  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Fuller,  Missionary  at  Rens- 
selaerville,  and  partly  at  Hobart  College,  in  the  class  of  1829  ; 
returned  to  his  people  at  Onondaga,  where  he  became  Catechist  and 
Lay  Reader,  and  led  "  a  devoted,  exemplary  and  Christian  life."  But 
in  time,  left  to  himself,  without  the  help  he  should  have  had  from  the 
Church,  and  allied  by  marriage  and  social  life  to  his  Pagan  country- 
men, he  fell  away,  and  for  years  before  his  death,  Oct.  5,  1848,  was 
outwardly  an  adherent  of  the  opponents  of  Christianity.  Only  at  the 
point  of  death  he  sent,  too  late,  for  his  old  teacher,  Mr.  Williams,  and 
left  word  for  him  "  that  he  died  in  the  belief  of  the  Christian  religion, 
and  acknowledged  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  his  Saviour."! 

A  small  part  of  the  Oneidas,  who  had  been  taught  many  years 
before  by  Samuel  Kirkland,  were  known  at  this  time  as  the  "  First 
Christian  Party."  The  chiefs  of  the  '•  Pagan  Party,"  on  their 
acknowledgment  of  Christianity,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Governor 
of  New  York  (De  Witt  Clinton),  stating  that  they  had  wholly  renounced 
Paganism,  and  wished  to  be  known  henceforth  as  the  '"Second  Chris- 
tian Party."  The  two  were  soon  united  under  Mr.  Williams,  and 
from  that  time  to  this  the  whole  body  of  the  Oneidas,  numbering  usu- 
ally about  a  thousand,  have  continued  faithful  members  of  the  Church. 
The  "  Second  Christian  Party"  in  18 18  succeeded  (l^y  the  sale  of  part 
of  their  land  to  the  State  of  New  York)  in  raising  about  $4400  to  build 
their  church,  which  was  accordingly  completed,  and  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Hobart  Sept.  21,  1819,  as  S.  Peter's  Church.     On  this  occa- 


*Joum.  N.  Y.,  1818,  p  18. 

t  J.  V.  H.  Clark,  Onondaga,  II.  114-23. 


52  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

sion  the  Bishop  baptized  two  adults  and  forty-five  children,  and  con- 
firmed fifty-six  persons.  Father  Nash  says  of  these  Oneidas  two 
years  later  that  in  no  congregation  had  he  beheld  such  deep  attention, 
such  humble  devotion.  He  baptized  on  this  visit  five  adults  and 
fifty  children.  Mr.  Williams,  it  should  be  said,  was  not  admitted  to 
Deacon's  Orders  till  June  i8,  1826.* 

The  Bishop  made  a  fifth  Episcopal  visitation  of  Western  New  York 
in  the  fall  of  1819,  at  which  he  reports  212  confirmed,  79  at  Paris 
Hill  alone.  New  services  are  reported  atSackett's  Harbor,  Danby,t 
Geneseo,  Hamburgh,  Black  Rock,  Bergen,  Montezuma,  Williamsville, 
and  Sherburne  ;  parishes  organized  at  Verona  and  Geneseo  ;  conse- 
crations at  Binghamton,  Oneida,  and  Paris  Hill  ;  churches  nearly  com- 
pleted at  Buffalo  and  Catharine.  The  Bishop  deeply  laments  his 
inability  to  send  Missionaries  to  the  many  places  asking  for  them,  and 
the  opportunities  lost  to  the  Church  in  consequence.  The  stipends 
of  the  Missionaries  actually  in  service  are  only  $175  each.  "  What 
can  be  done.-"'  he  asks.  "  I  see  the  contributions  of  Episcopalians 
extended  to  religious  institutions  not  immediately  connected  with  their 
own  Church  ;  I  see  their  bounty  flowing  in  channels  that  convey  it  to 
earth's  remotest  ends  ;  and  yet  many  of  their  fellow  Episcopalians  in 
this  State  are  destitute  of  the  ministrations  and  ordinances  of  the 
Church,  and  unable,  from  their  poverty,  to  procure  them." 

The  Bishop  speaks  in  high  praise  of  the  zeal  and  faithfulness  of 
the  Churchmen  of  Utica  and  Paris  in  maintaining  regular  services  by 
lay-reading  during  long  vacancies  in  their  rectorship, — in  the  latter 
case  without  the  failure  of  a  single  Sunday. 

The  Rev.  William  A.  Clark,  Missionary  at  Buffalo  and  "  parts 
adjacent"  {i.e.  Batavia,  Le  Roy,  Williamsville  and  Hamburgh) would 
wish  to  represent  the  state  of  his  congregations  as  prosperous,  "  but 
cannot  dissemble.  At  Buffalo  the  depression  of  the  times  is  peculiarly 
great ;  many  families  have  removed,  and  of  those  remaining  I  hear  noth- 

*  Clark,  Onondaga,  I.  231-8.  Journ.  N.  Y.,  1819,  pp.  17,  20. 

t  "  In  this  village  there  are  five  or  six  families  of  enlightened  and  pious  Epis- 
copalians who  evince  great  solicitude  to  have  the  Church  established  among 
them."  (Report  of  the  Rev.  Leverett  Bush  of  Oxford,  1819.)  Foremost 
among  these  were  three  Connecticut  Churchmen,  Walker  Bennett,  Alva  Finch 
and  Isaac  Jennings.  The  first  of  these  used  to  gather  his  family  and  neighbours 
on  Sundays  for  service  in  his  own  house  long  before  a  parish  was  crganized.  We 
shall  hear  of  him  later. 


/'^C    ^-/  ^^^t^/cT^^     /4^t<:/z^^^^    /f^i^^^      /^       At^'/^^ 


Visitations  of   i8i8  :  The  Oneidas  53 

ing  but  complaints  of  embarrassment. ' '  Still  they  have  nearly  completed 
(with  the  help  of  friends  in  Albany  and  New  York)  a  very  handsome 
Gothic  church,  but  have  not  funds  to  finish  it.      "  Buffalo."  he  con- 
tinues, "will  ultimately  be  a  place  of  such  importance,  that  I  think 
every  exertion  ought  to  be  made    to   maintain   the  ground  that  the 
Church  has  gained."     Batavia  is   in  much  the   same  condition.     At 
Black  Rock  our  numbers  are  increasing,  and  the  people  are  generally 
serious  and   attentive.     By  the  other  missionaries  (Welton,  Norton, 
Gear,  Pardee,  Bush,  Rogers)  encouraging  reports  are  given  of  Rich- 
mond (Honeoye,  now  Allen's  Hill),  Le  Roy,  Geneseo.  Livonia,  Ber- 
gen,  Waterloo,  Vienna   (Phelps),    Catharine,   Oxford,    Binghamton, 
Windsor,   Onondaga,    Tully,   Otisco,   Pompey,   Cazenovia,   Manlius, 
Lenox,  Danby,  Turin,  Sackett's  Harbor,  Booaville.*     It  is  a  pity  to 
give  nothing  but  names  from  these   reports  ;  but  the  very  enumera- 
tion of  places  shows  how  the  Church  was  extending  from  year  to  year 
through   this    rapidly   growing    "  Western   District."  settled    almost 
wholly  from  New  England,   and  happily,  with  a  good  leaven  of  the 
Churchmanship  learned  through   many  a  hard   fight   in  Connecticut 
under  Bishop  Seabury  and  his  colleagues  and  predecessors. 
*Joum.  N.  Y.,  1S19,  pp  24-32. 


CHAPTER   XI 

THEOLOGICAL    EDUCATION  :     GENEVA    COLLEGE 

HE  TENTH  year  of  Bishop  Hobart's  Episcopate 
marked  a  great  advance  in  the  work  always  so  near  his 
heart,  of  Christian  education,  and  especially  the  train- 
ing of  young  men  for  the  Ministry  of  the  Chvirch. 
Most  of  all  in  the  "  Western  District"  of  his  Diocese 
was  this  need  pressing  sorely  upon  him.  Western  New  York  was  no 
longer,  as  on  his  first  visitation,  largely  a  wilderness,  but  contained  a 
population  of  over  half  a  million  (the  whole  State  having  only  thirteen 
hundred  thousand),  mostly,  as  has  been  said,  people  of  New  England 
ancestry,  intelligent,  enterprising,  and  already  prosperous  in  most  of 
the  settlements.  The  two  Missionaries  had  increased  to  twelve,  the 
eleven  parishes  to  thirty-three,  the  two  hundred  communicants  to 
nearly  a  thousand.  From  this  very  growth  of  the  Church  arose  its 
greater  need. 

The  little  Divinity  class  at  Fairfield,  under  the  grant  of  1813  from 
Trinity  Church,  New  York,  had  kept  on  its  work  with  from  four  to 
seven  students,  since  1817  underthe  care  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  M'Don- 
ald,  a  clergyman  eminently  qualified  for  that  office.  Meantime  the 
Church  at  large  was  awakening  to  its  duty  in  this  regard.  In  the 
General  Convention  of  18 14  a  resolution  was  offered  by  the  Rev, 
Christopher  E.  Gadsden  (afterwards  Bishop)  of  South  Carolina,  to 
report  a  plan  for  a  Theological  Seminary.  It  gave  way  to  a  resolution 
of  the  House  of  Bishops  directing  each  of  their  number  to  report  to 
the  next  General  Convention  on  the  expediency  of  such  an  institution.* 
In  181 7  apian  was  adopted  (as  prepared  in  the  House  of  Bishops) 
establishing  a  ' '  General  Theological  Seminary  in  the  city  of  New 
York,"  and  appointing  a  committee  of  three  Bishops  (  White,  Hobart 
and  Croes),  three  Priests  and  three  laymen,  to  carry  it  into  effect. 
The  instruction  of  six  students  was  actually  begun  in  that  city  under 
the  authority  of  the  Committee,  by  the  Rev.  Drs.  Samuel  F.  Jarvis 


*Joum.  Gen.  Con.  1814  (Bp.  Perry's  Reprint),  pp.  408,  424. 


Theological  Education  :  Gkneva  Collegk  55 

and  Sainuel  II.  Turner,  May  i,  1819.*  Funds  came  in  slowly,  and 
the  General  Convention  of  1820,  in  spite  of  the  munificent  gift  of 
sixty  New  York  city  lots  by  Dr.  Clement  C.  Moore,  resolved  to  trans- 
fer the  Seminary  to  New  Haven.  This  plan  was  frustrated  by  the 
bequest  of  Mr.  Jacob  Sherred  in  March,  1821,  of  $60,000,  for  r/ Sem- 
inary in  New  York  (whether  General  or  Diocesan)  and  the  Seminary 
was  finally  established,  with  Bishop  Hobart's  full  cooperation,  in  New 
York,  as  a  general  institution  of  the  Church,  but  with  the  "under- 
standing "  that  a  "  branch  school  "  should  be  established  in  Geneva, 
to  which  place  the  Bishop  had  already  determined  to  remove  the  little 
Theological  School  at  Fairfield. t 

The  next  steps  are  well  told  by  one  who  took  an  active  part  in  all 
this  work  from  that  time  on, the  late  Thomas  Davies  Burrall  of  Geneva,  t 

"  On  the  evening  of  Sept.  23,  18 18,  at  the  house  of  Col.  Samuel 
Colt,  in  Geneva  (in  presence  of  the  Rev.  Orin  Clark,  Rector  of  Trinity 
Church,  Col.  Colt,  Major  James  Rees  and  myself).  Bishop  Hobart 
announced  his  purpose  of  building  up  a  stronghold  for  the  Church  in 
the  West  (as  he  then  expressed  it),  at  Geneva — an  Institution  not  only 
of  learning  but  of  religious  worship  and  instruction  in  aid  of  the 
Church  and  its  Ministry.  Tn  his  quick,  decisive  manner,  he  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  unfold  his  scheme,  and  point  out  the  way  by  which 
it  could  be  efifected.  He  proposed,  first,  that  the  Geneva  Academy 
already  chartered,  should  be  placed,  by  consent  of  the  Trustees, 
under  the  control  of  the  Vestry  of  the  Church  in  Geneva,  and  elevated 
to  the  rank  of  a  college,  and  by  enlarging  the  number  of  Trustees  from 
thirteen  to  twenty-four,  to  place  the  direction  of  the  College  in  the 
hands  of  Churchmen  ;  and  secondly,  he  assured  his  friends  that  on 
this  being  done,  the  Diocesan  Convention  of  New  York  would  found 
and  endow  the  College  under  the  charter,  as  an  acknowledged  Insti- 
tution of  the  Church  throughout  the  State,  for  the  promotion  of  relig- 
ion and  learning  combined,  in  the  broadest  acceptation  of  the  terms.  ,^ 

"  The  Trustees,  in  view  of  the  prospective  advantages  to  accrue  to 


♦Bishop  Coleman,  Church  in  America,  p.  303,  says  1817  ;  but  this  is  an 
obvious  misprint  for  1S19.  See  ]oum.  Gen.  Con.  1817,  p.  64,  and  1820,  pp.  64- 
71,  (Bp.  Perry's  reprint,  I,  479,  569-75),  and  Cent.  Hist.  Dioc.  N.  ¥.,  375. 

t  Joum.  Gen.  Conv.,1821  (reprint),  p.  613  ;  Bp.  White,  Mem.  Ch.  52  (ed.  1880) 
The  "Constitution"  says,  "one  or  more  branch  Schools  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  or  elsewhere  ;"  Bp.  White  says  "it  is  understood,  that  a  branch  School  is 
to  be  forthwith  established  at  Geneva,  in  New  York."  About  this  "understand- 
ing "  he  could  not  be  mistaken.  Fourteen  of  the  Seminary  Trustees  (out  of  38) 
were  to  be  chosen  by  New  York. 

tOosp.  Mess.  XLII.  161.  (Oct.  8,  1S68.) 


56  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

the  village,  assented  to  this  proposition,  and  surrendered  the  control  of 
the  Academy  to  the  Vestry  of  the  Church  in  Geneva  ;  and  on  their 
application  to  the  Regents,  a  charter  was  granted  on  the  loth  of 
April,  1822,  '■on  condition  that  the  Trustees  should  within  three  years 
raise  and  secure  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Regents,  a  permanent  fund 
of  sixty  thousand  dollars,  yielding  a  net  annual  revenue  of  four  thous- 
and dollars.' 

"  The  conditional  charter  having  been  thus  obtained  from  the 
Regents  by  the  Trustees,  and  the  Bishop,  on  his  part,  having  urged 
upon  the  Convention  the  importance  of  an  Episcopal  College  in  the 
West,  and  pointed  out  the  superior  advantages  of  Geneva  for  such 
an  Institution,  describing  it  as  'easy  of  access  from  the  immense 
countries  bordering  on  the  Western  Lakes,  and  from  those  upon  the 
Atlantic — immediately  on  the  bank  of  Seneca  Lake,  commanding  a 
view  of  this  extensive  and  beautiful  sheet  of  water — the  cultivated  shores 
that  confined  it  and  of  the  mountains  that  bound  the  distant  prospect, 
in  the  midst  of  a  very  populous  and  highly  cultivated  country,' 
etc.;  and  the  committee  having  been  appointed  to  report  vipon  the 
subject  ;  on  the  loth  of  April,  1823,  in  Diocesan  Convention,  the 
Committee  to  whom  was  referred  so  much  of  the  Bishop's  Address  as 
relates  to  the  establishment  and  patronage  of  the  College  proposed  to 
be  founded  in  the  village  of  Geneva,  beg  leave  to  submit  the  follow- 
ing resolutions  : 

' '  '  Resolved,  that  the  Convention  is  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense 
of  the  advantages  that  would  result  from  the  establishment  of  a  Col- 
lege combining  an  accurate  and  extensive  course  of  literary  and  scien- 
tific education  with  a  system  of  religious  worship  and  instruction 
according  to  the  principles  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 
that,  in  their  opinion,  the  local  situation  of  Geneva,  and  the  conditions 
of  the  charter  recently  granted  to  the  College  proposed  to  be  founded 
in  that  village,  are  eminently  favourable  to  the  attainment  of  these 
objects. 

"  '  Resolved,  that  the  Bishop  and  Standing  Committee  of  this  Dio- 
cese be  requested  to  prepare  and  carry  into  effect,  by  and  with  the 
advice  and  approbation  of  the  Trustees  of  the  proposed  College,  such 
a  plan  for  the  collection  of  funds  and  the  endowment  of  the  College, 
as  may  seem  to  them  best  fitted  to  promote  the  general  and  perma- 
nent interests  of  the  Church,  and  to  recommend  the  Institution  to  the 
patronage  and  confidence  of  Episcopalians  throughout  the  United 
States.' 

"  Which  resolutions  were  at  once  accepted  *,  and  in  furtherance  of 
the  plan  proposed  for  the  endowment,  the  Trustees  of  the  Society  for 
the  Pfomotion  of  Religion  and  Learning,  on  the  24th  of  April,  1824, 
granted  $20,500  to  the  Trustees  of  Geneva  Academy,  to  aid  in  secur- 

*  Christian  Journal,   VII.  71. 


Theological  Education  :  Geneva  College  57 

ing  the  College  Charter,  on  condition  that  the  charter  should  be 
obtained,  and  that  the  College  Trustees  '  should  make  satisfactory 
provision  for  the  education  of  twelve  students  to  be  named  by  the  Soci- 
ety, free  from  charge  of  tuition.'* 

"On  the  8th  of  February,  1825  (only  three  days  short  of  the  three 
years  allowed  by  the  Regents  in  which  to  raise  and  secure  the  560.000 
in  order  to  obtain  the  charter),  the  Trustees  exhibited  to  the  Regents 
funds  to  the  amount  required,  the  securities  to  which  were  deemed 
satisf actor)-,  and  the  Charter  was  issued,  "f 

Several  of  the  Trustees  joined  in  a  bond  for  the  payment  of  certain 
funds  not  then  available,  making  a  total  of  ?6o,ooo  secured,  (in  addi- 
tion to  about  $10,000  of  uncollected  subscriptions),  and  the  College 
was  organized  and  went  into  operation  May  24,  1825.  The  first 
Commencement  was  held  in  the  summer  of  1826,  and  the  six  students 
graduated  (under  Dr.  M' Donald,  the  Acting  President)  were  all  in 
Deacon's  Orders,  having  been  students  of  the  Theological  School  at 
Fairfield.  The  present  beautiful  site  of  the  College  was  the  choice  of 
Bishop  Hobart,t  and  the  first  building  on  it  ("Geneva  Hall")  was 
erected  while  Hobart  College  was  only  Geneva  Academy. 

For  the  carrying  out  of  the  Bishop's  plans,  and  the  supervision  of 
all  the  Educational  work  of  the  Diocese,  the  "  Protestant  Episcopal 
Theological  Education  Society  in  the  State  of  New  York"  was  organ- 
ized by  the  Convention  of  1820,  under  the  Bishop  as  President,  thirty 
Vice-Presidents  and  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  members 
"  from  different  parts  of  the  Diocese."  The  Society  reports  the  next 
year  that  the  grant  from  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  to  the  Fairfield 
Academy,  had  been  transferred  by  that  Corporation  to  the  Society's 
"  Interior  School  "  at  Geneva,  and  that  the  "  Western  Branch  of  the 
Seminar)'"  was  now  permanently  located  at  that  village,  under  the 
style  of  "  The  Interior  School  of  Geneva."     For  this  School  the  Rev. 

Daniel  M'Donald  was  appointed  Professor  of  the  Interpretation  of 

* 

♦College  Records,  I.  30. 

t  Id.  II.    I. 

t  So  Mr.  Burrall  testifies  from  personal  knowledge.  "At  early  morning  in  the 
month  of  September,  just  as  the  first  rays  of  the  sun  were  glancing  over  the  waters 
of  our  beautiful  lake ;  .  .  on  consultation  and  deliberation  on  the  different 
opinions  of  those  present,  he,  in  his  brisk  and  decided  manner,  struck  his  cane 
to  the  ground,  saying,  'Here,  gentlemen,  this  is  the  spot  for  the  College  ;'  and  on 
that  spot  it  zoas placed. ^^  Gosp.  Mess.  XL.  150.  See  Bp.  Co.\e's  note.  Cent.  Hist. 
Dioc.  N.  v.,  p.  158. 


58  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

Scripture,  Ecclesiastical  History,  and  the  Nature,  Ministry  and  Polity 
of  the  Church,  and  Librarian  ;  the  Rev.  John  Reed,  Professor  of 
Biblical  Learning  ;  and  the  Rev.  Orin  Clark,  Professor  of  Systematic 
Divinity  and  Pastoral  Theology.  In  the  General  Theological  Sem- 
inary four  students  have  been  under  instruction  through  the  past  year  ; 
five  have  lately  begun  their  first  year's  course,  and  four  or  five  more 
are  expected.  In  the  Geneva  School  there  are  ten  students,  and  for 
them,  a  "commodious  stone  building  in  an  eligible  situation  on  the 
bank  of  Seneca  Lake,  with  thirty  rooms  for  students  and  a  convenient 
Chapel,  will  be  ready  May  i,  1822."  Seven  of  the  ten  students  were 
the  first  graduates  of  the  College  in  1 826-7 .  They  ' '  have  the  privilege 
of  completing  or  revising  their  course  ' '  in  the  Seminary  in  New 
York.  At  the  Convention  of  1822,  the  Bishop  was  enabled  to 
announce  his  full  concurrence  in  the  consolidation  of  the  General 
Theological  Seminary  with  that  of  the  Diocese  in  the  City  of  New 
York,  and  the  happy  settlement  of  a  long-debated  and  perplexing 
problem.* 

The  year  182 1  records  another  extensive  visitation  of  Western  New 
York,  from  Utica  to  Buffalo,  with  the  consecration  of  S.  Luke's, 
Rochester  (the  first  church,  of  wood),  and  S.  Paul's,  Buffalo,  and  the 
confirmation  of  240  persons  ;  new  organizations  and  services  at  Hol- 
land Patent,  Rome,  Churchville  and  Chittenango.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  stipends  of  the  nine  missionaries  are  reduced  (regretfully)  to  $150 
a  year. t  The  founding  of  the  "Christian  Knowledge  Society  of 
the  Western  District  of  New  York"  this  year,  for  the  publication  of 
Church  books  and  tracts,  resulted  six  years  later  in  the  establishment 
of  "  The  Gospel  Messenger  and  Church  Record  of  Western  New 
York,"  a  paper  which  for  almost  half  a  century  was  of  inestimable 
value  in  the  work  of  the  Church,  not  only  in  the  Diocese,  but  far 
beyond  its  limits. 

The  following  year,  1822,  though  full  of  work  of  one  kind  or  another, 
began  a  long  suspension  of  the  Bishop's  visitations  of  "  the  Western 
District. ' '  In  fact,  he  had  for  years  been  working  beyond  the  strength 
of  any  man,  and  in  the  fall  of  1823,  after  severe  and  protracted  illness, 
he  reluctantly  gave  up  all  official  duties  for  more  than  two  years,  spent 
in  Europe,  most  of  the  time  in   England.      Readers  of  his  life  will 

*Jour.  N.  Y.  1821,  pp.  20-48;    1822,  pp.  18-22. 
t  Joum.  N.  Y.  1821,  pp.  14,  55. 


Theological  Education  :  Geneva  College  59 

hardly  need  to  be  reminded  of  the  remarkable  results  of  that  visit  in 
his  intimate  intercourse  with  Hugh  James  Rose,  through  which,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  the  "  Oxford  Movement  "  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land had  its  beginning  ;  and  his  enthusiastic  reception  by  his  Diocese 
on  his  return.* 

Those  years  of  the  Bishop's  absence,  however,  show  no  faltering 
in  the  missionary  work  of  the  Diocese,  but  a  steady  enlarging  of  its 
bounds  ;  especially  in  Chautauqua  County  (Fredonia,  Mayville,  West- 
field,  Jamestown,  Ripley  and  Dunkirk);  Onondaga  (S.  Paul's.  Syra- 
cuse, Marcellus,  Camillus,  Geddes);  at  Wethersfield  Springs, 
Sackett's  Harbor,  Ithaca,  Palmyra,  Homer,  Warsaw,  Bath,  Ham- 
mondsport,  Fulton,  New  Hartford,  Stafford,  Penn  Yan,  Hunt's, 
Moravia.  Brockport,  Clyde,  Canastota,  etc.  The  work  of  the  Oneida 
mission  was  faithfully  kept  up  by  Mr.  Williams,  and  encouraged  in 
1825  by  a  small  annuity  from  the  United  States.  The  College 
received  the  endowment  of  the  "  Charles  Startin  "  Professorship  of 
the  "  Evidences  of  Christianity,"  by  the  bequest  long  before  promised 
to  the  Bishop. t  Again  the  missionar}-  stipends  are  reduced,  to  $125, 
at  which  pitiful  sum  they  remained  for  more  than  forty  years,  to  1866, 
and  through  all  the  long  and  grand  Episcopate  of  Bishop  De  Lancey. 
It  is  a  kind  of  blot  which  occurs  too  often  in  Western  New  York 
history. 


*  I  have  spoken  (p.  42  sup.)  of  the  diatribe  of  an  Enghsh  periodical  of  a  very 
different  school,  occasioned  by  his  patriotic  sermon  on  his  return  home.  Hugh 
James  Rose  was  foremost  among  those  who  ably  and  lovingly  defended  him  in 
England. 

t  See  p.  39  sup. 


CHAPTER  XII 


VISITATION    OF    1826  :  S.  LUKE'S,    ROCHESTER 


LL  the  month  of  September,  1826,  was  occupied  by 
Bishop  Hobart  in  one  of  the  most  remarkable  Episco- 
pal visitations  recorded  in  this  country.  I  give  the 
substance  of  it  almost  in  his  own  words.  He  left  Bos- 
ton (whither  he  had  gone  to  preach  at  the  institution 
of  Alonzo  Potter— afterwards  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania — as  rector  of 
S.  Paul's)  "on  Friday,  Sept.  i,  and  on  Sunday,  the  3d,  officiated  at 
the  Little  Falls,  on  the  Mohawk,  near  three  hundred  miles  distant. 

"This  journey[through  Vermont]was  rendered  unusually  difficult  by 
the  extraordinary  freshets  in  the  Green  Mountains,  which  had  seri- 
ously injured  the  roads,  and  in  some  places  rendered  them  almost 
impassable.  On  Monday,  the  4th,  I  consecrated  the  Church  at  New 
Hartford,  four  miles  west  of  Utica,  and  the  following  morning 
admitted  the  Rev.  Amos  C.  Treadway,  the  officiating  Minister  there, 
to  the  Order  of  Priests.  In  the  afternoon  I  officiated  at  Paris,  and 
confirmed  7  persons  ;  the  next  day,  at  Manlius,  40,  and  in  the  after- 
noon officiated  at  Jamesville.  Thursday,  the  7th,  I  confirmed  12  at 
Onondaga  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  6  at  Syracuse. 
On  the  8th,  I  confirmed  in  the  morning  14  at  Marcellus,  and  preached 
at  Skaneateles  in  the  afternoon.  On  the  9th  I  confirmed  21  at 
Auburn;  on  the  loth,  Sunday,  I  consecrated  S.  Matthew's  Church, 
Moravia,  Owasco  Flatts,  and  confirmed  17  ;  and  on  the  nth,  I  con- 
secrated S.  John's  Church,  Ithaca,  and  confirmed  16.  The  next  morn- 
ing I  travelled  to  Danby,  andcomfirmed  12,  and  travelled  twenty-five 
miles  to  Catharine  Town,  and  preached  in  the  evening  ;  the  dis- 
tance, and  the  extreme  badness  of  the  roads  through  a  new  and 
very  mountainous  country,  where,  for  some  distance,  it  was  necessary  I 
should  leave  my  carriage  and  walk,  preventing  me  from  fulfilling  the 
appointment  which  had  been  made  for  me  at  an  earlier  hour  in  the 
afternoon.  The  next  day  I  proceeded  twenty  miles  to  the  Painted 
Post,  on  the  Flatts  of  the  Tioga,  where  there  is  some  prospect  of  a 
congregation  of  our  Church  being  established,  and  confirmed  5  per- 
sons. The  succeeding  day,  the  14th,  I  confirmed  at  Bath,  thirty 
miles  distant,  5  persons.  The  15th,  at  Penn  Yan,  thirty-two  miles 
distant,  13.  The  i6th,  I  consecrated  S.  Paul's  Church,  Waterloo, 
and  confirmed  16  persons  ;  and  on  Sunday,  the  17th,  officiated  at 
Geneva  morning  and  afternoon,  and  confirmed  in  this,  one  of  the  most 


S.   LURK'S  CHIKCH,  ROCHKSTKk 
Consecrated  iS;6 


Visitation  of   1826  :   S.  Luke's,   Rochester  61 

important  and  flourishing  congregations  in  the  Western  District,  50 
persons.  The  following  day,  the  i8th,  I  confirmed  at  Lyons,  in  the 
morning,  12  ;  and  at  Sodus,  in  the  afternoon,  where  a  new  and  zeal- 
ous congregation  has  laid  the  foundation  of  a  building  for  worship,  I 
confirmed  10.  The  19th,  at  Fahiiyra,  13.  On  the  20th,  in  the 
morning,  at  Canandaigua,  one  of  those  many  beautiful  villages  that 
adorn  the  Western  part  of  our  State,  I  confirmed  59  ;  and  in  the 
afternoon,  at  Richmond  [Allen's  Hill],  11.  The  next  day,  the  21st, 
at  Geneseo,  I  confirmed  15,  and  the  22d,  at  Batavia,  I  consecrated  S. 
James's  Church,  and  confirmed  53  persons,  and  in  the  afternoon  oflici- 
ated  at  Le  Roy.  On  the  23d,  I  pursued  my  journey  to  Buffalo, 
where  the  Church  is  rising  from  a  depressed  state,  through  the  bless- 
ing of  God  on  the  faithful  exertions  of  the  Missionary  there  ;*  and  on 
Sunday,  the  24th,  in  the  morning,  I  confirmed  26  persons,  and  offici- 
ated at  Black  Rock  in  the  afternoon.  The  road  from  Bufialo  to  the 
south-west  corner  of  the  State,  on  Lake  Erie,  not  admitting  of 
convenient  travel  in  any  other  vehicle  but  a  strong  stage-waggon,  I  was 
compelled  to  travel  all  the  night  of  Monday  in  the  stage  to  Fredonia, 
[forty  miles,]  where  I  confirmed,  on  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  12  per- 
sons ;  and  the  next  day,  at  Mayville,  27.  In  this  village,  beautifully 
situated  on  Chatauque  Lake,  the  head-waters  of  ihe  Allegany,  seven 
miles  distant  from  Lake  Erie,  and  elevated  near  700  feet  above  it,  a 
new  church  is  erecting  by  an  enterprising  congregation,  under  the 
faithful  services  of  the  clergyman  there. f  On  the  28th,  I  retraced 
my  way  to  Buffalo,  from  whence,  on  the  29th,  I  proceeded  to  Roch- 
ester, where  I  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  30th,  when  I  consecrated 
the  elegant  Gothic  stone  edifice  of  S.  Luke's  Church,  in  that  prosper- 
ous village  ;  and  the  next  day  I  was  highly  gratified  in  administering 
confirmation  to  72  persons.  My  course  of  visitation  closing  at  this 
place,  I  departed  for  my  home,  [nearly  400  miles  more,]  which  I 
reached  on  the  following  Thursday,  with  abundant  cause  of  thankful- 
ness to  Almighty  God  for  my  preservation  during  the  labours  and 
fatigues  of  the  journeys  of  a  year  past,  embracing  in  the  whole  between 
three  and  four  thousand  miles." 

One  feels  like  taking  a  long  breath  after  reading  such  a  narrative 
as  this.      But  the  Bishop  adds  some  details  of  interest. 

"On  my  journey  from  Rochester  home,  I  left  the  State  of  New 
York,  a  few  miles  south  of  Owego,  and  entered  the  Beech  Woods  of 
Pennsylvania,  which  cover  the  exceedingly  wild  and  mountainous  dis- 
trict through  which  runs  the  boundary  that  separates  these  two  States. 
On  my  arrival  at  the  Village  of  Montrose  in  the  evening,  I  was  surprised 
with  the  information  that  Bishop  White  was  at  that  moment  preach- 

*  The  Rev.  Addison  Searle,  Dr.  Shelton's  immediate  predecessor, 
t  The  Rev.  Rufus  Murray.     See  Joum.  N.  Y.  1826,  p.  33. 


62  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

ing  in  the  Court  House.  I  of  course  immediately  hurried  there, 
entered  the  room,  and  saw  the  venerable  Father  of  our  Church  in  the 
midst  of  the  flock  who  had  crowded  around  him  ;  and  was  struck  with 
the  clear  and  edifying  words  of  truth  from  that  voice  whose  benevo- 
lent tones  had  instructed  and  cheered  my  childhood  more  than  forty 
years  back.  Little  then  did  I  think  that  I  should  hear  them  in  what 
is  still  almost  a  wilderness,  at  a  period  when  he  who  uttered  them 
should  have  attained  nearly  the  age  of  fourscore." 

"  Almost  all  the  congregations  which  I  visited  in  the  country  are 
comparatively  of  recent  origin,  and  in  these  the  persons  confirmed 
were  generally  more  advanced  in  life  than  in  our  city  congregations. 
They  consisted  principally  of  converts  to  the  Church, — and  the 
enlightened  seriousness  with  which  I  had  every  reason  to  believe  they 
received  this  holy  rite,  gave  evidence  of  the  fidelity  with  which  their 
Pastors  had  prepared  them  for  it. 

"  In  several  places,  too,  I  found  strong  evidence  that  the  clergy 
can  counteract  the  powerful  course  of  religious  fanaticism,*  and  not 
only  preserve  any  of  their  flocks  from  being  led  astray,  but  secure 
accessions,  without  any  departure  from  the  primitive  principles  and 
sober  institutions  of  our  Church.  .  .  The  increase  of  our  Church 
by  any  other  means  is  not  to  be  desired.  Numerical  strength  might 
thus  prove  absolute  weakness,  by  bringing  within  her  pale  those  who 
will  seek  to  change  her  character.  .  .  Our  Church  in  this  diocese 
has  hitherto  increased  by  a  faithful  adherence  to  her  principles.  In 
new  settlements,  a  few  Churchmen, — in  some  cases  hardly  more  than 
one  zealous  Churchman, —  using  the  Liturgy  for  worship,  and  at  last 
obtaining  the  aid  of  some  missionary  on  Sunday,  have  often  succeeded 
in  establishing  a  respectable  congregation  and  erecting  a  house  for 
worship."  He  goes  on  to  specify  interesting  instances  at  Moravia, 
Trenton  (Holland  Patent),  Ithaca,  Ogdensburg,  Batavia  and  Roches- 
ter. In  the  latter  place,  "  itself  but  a  new  settlement,  the  congrega- 
tion has  been  organized  but  six  or  eight  years,  and  in  that  period  they 
have  erected  two  houses  for  worship  ;  and  the  large  stone  edifice  in 
which  they  now  assemble,  a  beautiful  specimen  of  Gothic  architecture, 
is  surpassed  by  none  in  the  State.  The  small  congregation  at  Water- 
loo deserve  great  credit  for  the  singularly  neat  and  commodious  Church 
which  they  have  erected  ;t  and  that  at  New  Hartford  is  principally 
indebted  for  their  convenient  structure  to  the  liberality  of  one  venera- 
ble individual,  who  at  the  first  generously  endowed  the  Church,  and 
has  since  continued  his  munificent  benefactions,  t       In  the  handsome 


*The  Bishop  is  perhaps  anticipating  here   the  tremendous  wave  of  religious 
excitement  which  swept  over  Western  New  York  a  Uttle  later. 
t  Of  wood,  predecessor  of  the  present  church. 
J  Judge  Jedediah  Sanger. 


Visitation  of   1826  :   S.   Lukk's,   Rochester  63 

brick  edifice  at  Batavia,*  a  large  body  of  worshippers  assemble,  where, 
not  many  years  since,  I  officiated  in  the  Court  House  to  an  assembly, 
scarcely  any  of  whom  were  acquainted  with  our  mode  of  worship. N  I 
might  apply  the  same  remark  to  Ithaca,  "f 

In  the  C/iristiiin  JouniaL  IX.  345  (Nov.  1825,)  will  be  found  a 
detailed  description  (undoubtedly  by  the  Rector,  the  Rev.  Francis  H. 
Cuming)  of  the  newly  built  S.  Luke's  Church,  Rochester,  exceedingly 
interesting  as  exhibiting  the  point  of  view  in  which  its  architecture, 
and  "Gothic"  architecture  generally,  was  regarded  in  that  day,  some 
years  before  the  publication  of  the  first  work  on  that  subject  in  this 
country,  by  John  Henry  Hopkins,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Vermont. 
The  account  is  much  too  long  to  be  transcribed  in  full,  but  some 
excerpts  may  be  given.  The  church,  it  should  be  noted,  has  been 
very  little  altered  to  this  day. 

"The  style  of  building  is  Gothic,  which  has  been  rigidly  observed  in 
every  particular.  .  .  The  two  windows  in  the  tower  are  most 
strikingly  beautiful,  containing  a  proper  number  of  spandrels  and 
branching  muUions,  and  ornamented  with  the  richest  and  most  deli- 
cate tracery.  The  tower  .  .  is  finished  at  the  top  with  8  pinna- 
cles, connected  by  a  castellated  or  embattled  balustrade.  A  similar 
balustrade,  with  similar  pinnacles  at  each  comer,  runs  round  the  roof 
of  the  whole  house.  This,  the  door  and  window-frames,  the  cornice, 
and  indeed  all  the  woodwork,  have  been  made  so  strongly  to  resemble 
the  red  free-stone  by  a  process  termed  smalting,  as  to  require  very 
close  inspection  to  discover  that  there  is  anything  but  stone  about  any 
part  of  the  exterior.  The  arrangement  of  the  interior,  either  as  it 
respects  convenience,  elegance,  or  the  economizing  of  the  room, 
could  not  be  improved.  .  .  The  pulpit  and  desk  consist  of  a 
number  of  delicate  Gothic  arches  of  open  shell-work,  behind  which, 
in  rich  folds,  is  a  drapery  of  dark  blue  silk  velvet.  The  chancel  is  in 
the  form  of  an  oval,  placed  in  front  of  the  desk,  and  so  arranged, 
that  though  sufficiently  large,  it  takes  up  but  little  room,  while  itgives 
a  clergyman  sitting  in  it,  a  good  opportunity  to  see  the  one  who  may 
be  in  the  pulpit.  .  .  For  the  Communion  table,  there  is  an 
Italian  marble  slab,  resting  on  four  gilt  and  bronzed  legs.  The  bap- 
tismal font  is  of  the  purest  alabaster,  placed  on  a  pedestal  of  Italian 
marble.  The  gallery  is  supported  by  large  cluster  columns,  painted 
in  imitation  of    light  blue   variegated   marble,   thus   forming  a  most 


*  Joum.  N.  Y.  1826,  pp.  20-24. 

t  Which  gave  way  in  1S35  to  the  present  (far  from  handsome)  Doric  stone  church, 
the  outcome  of  the  Greek  enthusiasm  which  Dr.  Whitehouse  (then  of  Rochester, 
afterwards  Bishop)  brought  with  him  from  a  year  abroad. 


64  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

agreeable  contrast  to  the  dead  white  with  which  all  the  other  part  of 
the  interior  of  the  Church  is  painted.  The  colouring  of  these  columns 
has  been  most  faithfully  executed  ;  a  better  imitation  we  need  not 
look  for.  The  ceiling  of  this  Church  is  finished  with  intersecting 
vaulted  or  groined  arches,  ornamented  with  stucco-work.  There 
is  no  profusion  of  ornament  anywhere  about  the  building  ;  you  dis- 
cover nothing  in  it  that  would  be  called  extravagant,  nothing  that  gives 
it  a  tawdry  appearance  ;  elegance,  neatness,  and  (for  a  Gothic  build- 
ing) simplicity,  are  its  obvious  characteristics.  It  stands  upon  a  spot 
where,  a  few  years  since,  the  trees  of  the  forest  were  permitted  to 
grow  undisturbed.  It  was  erected  by  a  congregation,  small  as  yet  in 
numbers,  and  composed  for  the  most  part  of  those  who,  till  within  a 
very  short  period,  were  strangers  to  the  forms  and  principles  of  the 
Church." 

A  very  fair  account  on  the  whole,  as  any  one  will  see  on  entering 
the  now  venerable  old  church.  No  wonder  that  the  writer  closes  with 
a  fervent  '■^Non  nobis,  DomineT' 


S.  LUKE'S  CHURCH,  ROCHESTER 
Consecrated  1S26 


CHAPTER    XllI 

DIOCESAN  MISSIONS  IN  1827  :    THK  (;0SPEL  MKSSKNCIER 

QUOTE  from  one  of  the  Missionaries  of  that  early  day* 
a  remark  which  has  been  echoed  year  after  vear  by 
many  a  country  Parson  : 

"I  have  been  grieved  to  observe  that  the  requisitions 
&^^^^^^^^^^  of  the  45th  Canon  of  the  Ceneral  Convention,  enforced 
by  the  4th  Canon  of  this  State  of  1796.  are  much  neglected. 
In  more  than  one  instance  I  have  been  unable  to  find  in  the 
hands  of  the  Vestry  a  transcript  of  the  parochial  registers  kept  by 
the  Ministers  whom  they  had  formerly  employed.  Having  access  to 
no  record,  or  to  those  which  were  very  imperfect,  considerable  time 
has  necessarily  elapsed  before  the  exact  number  and  condition  of  the 
parishioners  could  be  ascertained." 

The  Rev.  Norman  H.  Adams,  so  many  years  Rector  of  Unadilla 
(now  in  the  Diocese  of  Albany)  and  Bainbridge.  Chenango  county, 
speaks  strongly  of  the  zeal  and  liberality  of  his  little  flock  in  the  latter 
place,  who  had  nearly  completed  their  church.  At  Fredonia.  the 
Rev.  David  Brown  reports  the  prospects  of  the  Church  (in  "Cha- 
tauque  "  county)  considerably  improved  ;  yet  he  "  finds  it  necessary 
to  leave  the  country  this  fall  for  want  of  support,  having  expended 
nearly  the  whole  amount  of  his  private  property  in  the  support  of  his 
family  and  for  the  Church. ' '  So  he  "  thinks  it  best  that  his  successor 
should  have  the  honour  and  the  advantage,  if  any,  of  organizing.'' 
One  wonders  what  the  prospects  must  have  been  before  this  year.f 

In  many  places  there  is  reported  "far  more  religious  seriou.sness 
prevalent  "  than  in  former  years.  It  seems  to  be  the  precursor  of 
the  great  "'  revival  "  which  swept  over  the  countr)'^  in  1829-30,  and 
which,  in  the  mad  extravagrance  to  which   it  was  carried,  desolated 


*  The  Rev.  Palmer  Uyer,  (".ranville,  1.S26.  Jour.  N.  V.  1.S26,  p.  35.  The 
first  proper  Parish  Register,  prepared  by  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Haight,  was  published 
about  1S45.  My  o%st>,  which  has  been  in  general  use  since  1859,  is  mainly  on  the 
same  plan. 

t  Mr.  Brown,  who  had  been  for  a  number  of  years  a  most  faithful  and  capable 
Missionary,  became  Principal  of  an  Academy  in  Albany.  He  d.  at  Lambertville, 
N.  J.,  Dec.  7,  1S75,  aet.  {59. 


66  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

many  sectarian  congregations  (while  it  filled  many  more),  and  brought 
hundreds  to  seek  shelter  from  its  wild  excitement  in  the  communion 
of  the  Church. 

The  Rev.  John  M'Carty,  afterwards  a  noted  Chaplain  in  the  U.  S. 
Army,  was  at  this  time  missionary  at  Onondaga  and  Syracuse,  in 
which  latter  village  the  Church  was  not  growing,  for  want  both  of  a 
resident  Minister  and  a  church  building,  the  congregation  being  too 
poor  to  finish  the  one  they  had  begun.*  In  Otsego  and  Chenango 
counties  Father  Nash  continues  his  patient  labours,  "  everywhere 
received  with  kindness,  and  often  with  that  Christian  love  which 
sweetens  the  toils  of  the  weary  Missionary."  At  Richmond  (Allen's 
Hill)  the  Rev.  George  H.  Norton  says  that  "  the  recent  introduction 
of  an  organ  into  the  church  has  infused  some  little  life  into  the  con- 
gregation," and  he  perceives  "  indications  of  seriousness  "  which  he 
hopes  may  "  eventuate  in  increasing  the  number  of  communicants." 
In  Skaneateles  and  Marcellus  the  Rev.  Amos  Pardee  finds  the  con- 
gregation "  greatly  increased,"  "  numbers  settled  in  their  views  with 
respect  to  the  Faith  once  delivered  to  the  Saints."  At  Turin  and 
Sackett's  Harbour,  under  the  Rev.  Joshua  M.  Rogers,  the  Church 
"  is  annually  becoming  more  firmly  established  in  its  fundamental 
doctrines."  At  Geneseo  "the  Missionary  cause  continues,  through 
God's  blessing,  to  prosper  "  in  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Salmon, 
who  reports  also  ' '  the  greatest  zeal  manifested  for  the  Church  at 
Warsaw,"  where  Divine  service  is  performed  in  the  Masonic  Hall  ; 
so  "he  sees  no  reason  why  he  should  not  remain  for  the  ensuing 
year, ' '  though  apparently  a  little  surprised  that  he  has  stayed  so  long 
already.  The  Rev.  Orsamus  H.  Smith  remarks  "  a  growing  interest  in 
the  doctrines  and  worship  of  the  Church"  in  Moravia  (only  three  years 
old,  but  with  a  congregation  "  generally  respectable  for  numbers,  and 
which  always  unites  with  hearty  zeal  in  the  Liturgy, ' '  and  a  neat  Gothic 
Church  just  consecrated),  and  in  various  places  in  Cayuga  county. 
From  New  Hartford  comes  one  of  the  most  interesting  reports,  by  the 
Rev.  Amos  C.  Treadway.  "  The  Church  [S.  Stephen's]  is  now  com- 
pleted, and  the  service  well    attended.      Two  years  since  [on  an  acci- 


*  The  first  communicants  at  Syracuse  were  the  father  and  six  sisters  of  the  Rev. 
William  H.  Northrup,  who  died  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  in  March,  1819,  after  an 
earnest  ministiy  of  only  two  years  in  S.  Peter's,  Auburn.  (Rev.  W.  S.  Hayward. 
See  Christian  /oicrnal,  III.  96.) 


Diocesan  Missions  in   1827  67 

dental,  or  Providential,  visit  by  the  missionary]  he  found  the  peo- 
ple utterly  unacquainted  with  our  forms,  and  the  ground  wholly 
occupied  by  those  whose  views  and  principles  are  in  discordance  with 
the  doctrines  of  the  Church."  The  handsome  and  substantial  old 
Church  still  in  use  was  built  mostly  by  Judge  Sanger,  the  original 
proprietor  of  New  Hartford.  He  was  not  a  Churchman  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  work,  and  had  been  a  liberal  benefactor  of  another  congre- 
gation which  till  now  had  had  entire  control  of  the  little  village. 
The  "  intrusion  "  of  an  '•  Episcopal  "  minister  was  strongly  resented, 
and  vigorous  efforts  were  made  to  prevent  the  Judge  from  helping  the 
movement.*  The  story  is  a  long  one  ;  but  the  final  result  was  the 
coming  in  of  the  whole  Sanger  family,  with  many  relatives  and  friends, 
to  be  pillars  of  the  Church  for  several  generations, — the  building  of 
the  Church  in  New  Hartford,  and  its  endowment  by  Judge  Sanger,  at 
first  with  130  acres  of  land,  and  afterwards  with  a  perpetual  annuity 

of  $250.t 

The  Bishop  also  confirmed  in  July  of  this  year  19  at  New  Hartford, 
43  at  Utica,  12  at  Rome,  25  (Indians)  at  Oneida  Castle,  9  at  Holland  ^   J 

Patent  (where  he  consecrated  the  church)  13  at  Turin  (since  known  0T5  .  \ 
as  Constableville,  Lewis  county),  9  at  Sackett's  Harbor  ;  and  officiated  ^  ^^  «H/v  '3^ 
at  Brownville,  where  the  Church  was  not  yet  established.  In  this 
year  began  the  exodus  of  the  Oneidas  to  Oneida  (Green  Bay),  in  Wis- 
consin, a  few  only  leaving  at  this  time  with  their  former  teacher, 
Eleazar  Williams  (ordered  Deacon  by  the  Bishop  July  18,)  Mr.  Solo- 
mon Davis  succeeding  him  as  Catechist  at  Oneida,  and  giving  a  good 
report  of  the  condition  of  the  Mission.? 


*  "  It  was  said,"  Mr.  Treadway  told  me  many  years  after,  "  tliat  '  the  Episcopal 
Church  had  no  right  to  be  in  New  Hartford.'  '  Well,  if  you  come  to  that,'  was 
the  answer,  *■  yoii  have  no  right  to  be  an-yiu/wt-f.'  " 

t  "  And  thereby  [by  the  130  acres  of  land]  hangs  a  tale"  of  endowments.  After 
a  few  years  this  land  (in  an  unsettled  part  of  the  county)  was  exchanged  by  the 
vestry  for  two  lots  in  Utica;  these  again  for  a  lot  in  New  Hartford  for  a  rectory, 
which  was  not  built ;  this  again  for  a  house  and  lot  which  xvas  occupied  but  not 
paid  for  wholly,  so  that  in  course  of  time  the  unpaid  mortgage  and  interest  forced 
a  sale  of  the  property  which  left  about  Jsoo  in  all.  The  ladies  of  the  parish 
wanted  just  this  sum  to  complete  the  purchase  of  an  organ  for  which  they  had 
been  working  ;  so  that  in  the  end  the  130  acres  of  land  was  absorbed  by  one- 
third  of  a  small  organ, — a  very  good  and  useful  one,  I  may  add.  The  annuity 
was  capitalized  in  1863,  and  this  endowment  has  since  been  enlarged. 

t  Joum.   N.  Y.  1S26,  pp.  3S-49. 


68  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

"  The  Bible  and  Prayer  Book  Society  of  Central  New  York,  "with 
a  Depository  in  Utica,  which  for  many  years  later  was  a  most  useful 
auxiliary  to  the  General  Society  in  New  York,  reports  this  year  a  per- 
manent fund  of  one  thousand  dollars.  The  first  Commencement  of 
Geneva  (now  Hobart)  College  was  marked  by  the  election  of  the  Rev. 
Jasper  Adams,  D.D.,  (Brown  Univ.  1819,)  President  of  Charleston 
College,  S.  C,  as  the  first  President.*  The  College  at  this  time 
established  "an  English  course  for  the  practical  business  of  life,"  the 
first  such  course  in  this  country. 

In  the  following  year  (1827)  the  Central  New  York  Bible  and 
Prayer  Book  Society  reported  366  volumes  distributed,  making  2,457 
since  its  organization.  This  year  also  witnessed  the  first  "  Convoca- 
tion ' '  in  Western  New  York  (under  the  title  of  the  ' '  Monroe  County 
Episcopal  Association"),  organized  at  Rochester,  for  the  purpose  of 
supplying  vacant  parishes  with  services,  and  founding  new  parishes 
and  Sunday  Schools.  Bishop  Hobart  made  another  partial  visitation 
of  the  "  Western  District,"  consecrating  churches  at  Le  Roy,  Bain- 
bridge  and  Syracuse  (where  he  confirmed  79),  and  visiting  also  Wind- 
sor, Binghamton,  Coventry,  Oxford,  Sherburne,  Otisco  and  Perry- 
ville.  New  parishes  or  services  are  reported  at  Angelica,  Big  Flats, 
Ludlowville,  Liverpool,  Candor,  Watertown,  Canaseraga,  George- 
town, Nvmda,  Lyons  and  Montezuma. 

On  the  day  following  the  consecration  of  S.  Mark's  Church,  Le  Roy, 
the  Bishop 

"  took  a  passage  in  the  steamboat  for  Green  Bay,  to  visit  the 
Rev.  Eleazar  Williams,  and  the  Oneida  Indians  under  his  charge. 
But  finding  it  exceedingly  doubtful  whether  I  could  accomplish  the 
journey  consistently  with  my  necessary  duties  in  my  diocese,  I  was 
induced  to  postpone  this  visit  to  the  ensuing  summer,  and  to  remain 
at  Detroit,  where  I  enjoyed  the  gratification  of  witnessing  the  effect  of 
the  meritorious  and  faithful  labours  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cadle.t     I    laid 


*  He  rendered  most  efficient  service,  but  for  only  two  years,  returning  in  1828 
to  the  presidency  of  Charleston  College,  and  in  1838  becoming  Professor  of 
Ethics  at  West  Point.  He  was  author  of  a  work  on  Moral  Philosophy,  1837, 
and  of  other  scientific  and  political  works.  He  d.  Pendleton,  S.  C,  Oct.  25, 
1841,  aet.  48. 

t  The  Rev.  Richard  F.  Cadle,ord.  deacon  by  Bishop  Hobart  April  27,  iSi7,wasfor 
a  number  of  years  Missionary  at  Detroit,  and  afterwards  at  Green  Bay  and  Prairie 
Du  Chien,  rendering  excellent  service  both  to  the  whites  and  to  the  Indians  in 
■what  was  then  the  territory  of  Michigan.       He  was   later  (1844-9)   Rector  of  S. 


S    PAUL'S  CHLKCH,   KOCHKSTKR 
Consecrated  i.S.->9 


The  Gospel  Messenger  69 

the  corner-stone  of  the  new  church  of  S.  I'eter's  [S.  Paul's,  it  should 
be]  in  that  remote,  but  ancient  town,  on  Friday,  the  loth  of  August, 
preached  on  Saturday,  and  on  Sunday  morning  confirmed  eleven  per- 
sons. The  excellent  and  active  Bishop  [Stewart]  of  Quebec  was  at 
this  time  on  the  opposite  shore,  in  Upper  Canada.  At  his  particular 
request,  I  preached  for  him  on  Sunday  afternoon."* 

In  his  address  at  the  laying  of  the  comer-stone,  the  Bishop  speaks  of 
the  church  as  ''  the  first  to  be  erected  in  a  Territory  which  will  ere  long 
exchange  its  forests  for  cultivated  fields,  and  the  solitude  of  its  wilds 
for  the  bustle  of  busy  towns."  But  it  was  not  till  eight  or  nine  years 
later  that  the  full  tide  of  emigration  began  to  flow  from  New  England 
and  New  York  into  Michigan.!  This  was  the  first  visit  of  a  Bishop 
to  "  Michigan  Territory-." 

The  most  interesting  event  of  this  year,  as  it  seems  to  me,  is  the 
beginning  at  Auburn,  January  20,  1827,  of  "-The  Gospel  Messen- 
ger," by  the  Rev.  John  Churchill  Rudd,  D.D.,  at  that  time  Rector 
of  S.  Peter's  Church  in  that  village.  For  forty-five  years  it  contin- 
ued to  be,  in  reality  as  well  as  in  name,  "  The  Church  Record  of 
Western  New  York,"  and,  like  its  predecessor  the  Christian  Journal 
(1817-30),  an  invaluable  store-house  of  Western  New  York  history. 
In  this  respect,  I  can  safely  say  that  no  periodical  since  its  day  has 
begun  to  take  its  place.  But  it  was  much  more  than  this,  not  only  in 
Western  New  York,  where  nearly  every  intelligent  Church  family 
took  it  in  as  if  it  were  their  daily  bread,  and  read  it  from  end  to  end. 
but,  as  years  went  on,  through  many  a  State  and  Diocese  in  the  West 
and  South  to  which  such  families  had  gone.  Dr.  Rudd  was  not  a 
forcible  original  writer,  but  he  had  a  rare  faculty  of  selection,  both  in 
Church  news  and  in  didactic,  pastoral  and  devotional  writings,  which 
made  the  paper  a /ways  interesting  as  well  as  profitable.  Then  it 
told,  surely  if  slowly,  of  all  that  was  going  on  of  interest  in  parochial 
work  ;  it  had  the  hearty  support  and  constant  help  of  successive  Bish- 
ops and  Clergy  of  the  Diocese,  who  were  frequent  contributors  to 
its  pages  ;  its  Church   teaching  was  thoroughly  sound   and  reasonably 


John's,  Sodus,  and  Missionary  at  Pultneyville  and  Sodus  Point,  W.  N.  V.,  and 
afterwards  Missionarj*  in  Vennont  and  Delaware.  He  died  at  Little  Creek,  DeL, 
Nov.  q,  1857. 

*  Joum.  N.  V.  1S27,  p.  15. 

t  Wlien  (in  1836)  I  used  to  see  what  sometimes  seemed  almost  a  continuous 
procession  of  emigrant  teams  "for  Michigan"  passing  our  Canandaigua  home  on 
"the  great  Western  Road." 


yo  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

progressive,  slowly  but  constantly  elevating  the  tone  of  thought  and 
teaching  in  both  Clergy  and  Laity.  Later,  it  brought  to  the  Church- 
men of  this  country  the  very  best  thought  of  the  Oxford  Movement  so 
stirring  the  hearts  of  their  English  brethren,  in  a  form  always  persua- 
sive and  never  offensive.  Altogether,  it  was,  I  have  always  thought, 
the  best,  though  not  the  ablest,  weekly  Church  paper  we  have  ever 
had  in  this  country  ;  and  there  are  yet  living  hundreds  of  Western 
New  York  Churchmen  who  will  agree  heartily  in  this  opinion.* 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1828  the  Bishop  again  visited  a  consid- 
erable part  of  Western  New  York,  including  twenty-six  parishes  (sev- 
eral of  them  twice),  consecrating  churches  at  Brownville,  Mayville, 
Sheldon,  Skaneateles  and  Harpersville  (formerly  Windsor,  sometimes 
called  Colesville,  and  far  back  of  that  "  the  Oquaga  Hills"),  and  con- 
firming 212  persons.  Of  Brownville  he  says  that  some  of  the  respect- 
able inhabitants  had  requested  him  two  5'^ears  before  to  come  there, 
' '  having  become  dissatisfied  with  certain  religious  views  and  extrava- 
gancies which  prevailed  in  the  principal  denomination  of  the  place, 
and  turned  their  attention  to  our  Church,  as  exhibiting  religious  truth, 
and  exciting  religious  feelings  in  a  manner  scriptural,  rational,  sober 
and  yet  fervent."  The  great  body  of  that  congregation  had  conse- 
quently attached  themselves  to  the  Church,  and  at  this  time  several 
heads  of  families  were  confirmed,  and  thirty  persons  received  the  Holy 
Communion.  On  this  tour  he  visited  the  Bishop  of  Quebec  at  Stam- 
ford, C.  W.,  and  went  "  by  steam  boat  "  to  Detroit,  where  he  conse- 
crated S.  Paul's  Church,  whose  corner-stone  he  had  laid  the  previous 
year,  and  held  a  confirmation.  Niagara  Falls  (then  "  Manchester  ") 
received  its  first  visitation  at  this  time.  At  Rochester  the  new  con- 
gregation of  S.  Paul's  (the  first  instance  as  yet  of  a  second  parish  in 
the  same  town)  were  erecting  "  a  large  and  elegant  Gothic  church," 
and  S.  Luke's  enlarging  their  almost  newly  consecrated  church.  At 
Hunt's,  Allegany  County  (now  Livingston  County),  having  mistaken 
the  road,  he  came  into  the  unfinished  church  when  Evening  Prayer 
was  nearly  through,  but  in  time  to  preach  and  confirm  twelve  persons. 

"The  present,"  the  Bishop  says,  "is  undoubtedly  a  period  of 
great  religious  excitement,  and  is  marked,  as  all  such  periods  are,  by 
a  great  mixture  of  error  and  evil  with  truth  and  good.     Let  us  seek 

*The  45  volumes  {1S27-71)  are  in  my  possession,  and  without  them,  I  need 
hardly  say,  this  history  would  be  a  barren  chronicle. 


Diocesan  Missions  in   1827  71 

to  secure  the  latter  freed  from  the  corruptin*;  alloy  of  the  former. 
And  this  we  shall  do,  if  we  steadfastly  take  as  the  landmarks  that  are  to 
regulate  us.  the  doctrines,  order,  and  worship  of  our  Church.  Let 
us  not  neglect  the  vital  doctrines  of  the  sinfulness  and  guilt  of  man, 
of  justification  through  a  lively  and  operative  faith  in  a  Divine  Saviour, 
of  sanctification  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  because  these 
inestimable  characteristics  of  the  Gospel  are  lamentably  deformed  by 
the  errors  of  speculative  heresy,  and  the  extravagances  of  a  rampant 
enthusiasm.  .  .  But  let  us  not  seek  to  connect  with  the  full  pro- 
vision which  our  Church  has  made  for  advancing  the  holiness  of  her 
members,  practices,  however  plausible,  unknown  to  her  sober  yet  fer- 
vent spirit.  Never  advancing  beyond  her  prescriptions  into  any  well 
meant  but  unauthorized  means  of  advancing  the  interests  of  religion, 
let  us  apply  all  our  efforts  to  give  effect  to  her  evangelical  doctrine, 
her  Apostolic  Ministry,  her  primitive  and  rational  worship.'"* 

The  Missionary  Reports  of  the  year,  while  as  always  of  much 
interest,  call  for  no  special  remark,  except  perhaps  a  noteworthy  para- 
graph in  that  of  Mr.  Davis,  the  Catechist  of  the  Oneidas,  on  a  sub- 
ject which  in  that  day  had  hardly  begun  to  attract  general  attention. 

"  The  Oneidas,"  he  says,  "  are  gradually  improving  in  agriculture, 
and  the  mechanic  arts  ;  and  such  has  been  their  advancement,  that 
every  doubt  must  vanish  as  to  their  susceptibility  of  being  raised  to 
the  privileges  and  enjoyments  of  civilized  men.  My  situation  is  ren- 
dered much  more  pleasant  by  the  recent  formation  of  a  Society  among 
the  white  people  in  our  vicinity,  the  object  of  which  is  to  prevent  the 
sale  of  spirituous  liquor  to  the  Indians.  It  is  composed  of  the  most 
respectable  part  of  the  white  population,  and  they  are  determined  to  put 
an  effectual  stop  to  an  evil  which  has  hitherto  been  the  most  formid- 
able one  we  have  had  to  contend  with,  and  which  has  contributed, 
more  than  any  other,  to  the  degradation  and  misery  of  these  unfortu- 
nate people.  The  Society  are  taking  measures  to  have  the  existing 
law  prohibiting  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits  to  the  natives,  under  a  severe 
penalty,  strictly  enforced  against  every  offender,  and  have  already 
begun  to  realize  the  most  beneficial  results. ''f 

A  CHILDREN'S  CHOIR  OF   1S27. 

At  the  risk  of  unduly  prolonging  this  chapter,  I  add  an  interesting 
article  from  the  Gospel  Messenger,  I.  187  (Dec.  8,  1827).  The  writer 
is  "  desirous  of  pointing  out  to  the  surrounding  villages  (in  W.  New 
York)  the  most  interesting,  impressive,  and  successful  attempt  to 
improve  Church  music,"  that  he  recollects  ever  to  have  witnessed. 

*Joum.  N.  V.  1S2S,  p.  26. 
t  Joum.  N.  Y.  182S,  p.  53. 


72  Diocese    of  Western  New  York 

' '  It  was  at  Geneva  that  I  spent  last  Sunday,  and  being  totally- 
unprepared  for  anything  out  of  the  ordinary  range,  I  should  have 
thought  that  the  state  of  my  own  feelings,  arising  from  the  distance 
from  my  friends,  the  romantic  location  of  the  village,  etc.,  afforded 
the  real  key  to  the  mysterious  charm,  had  I  not  perceived  that  some 
of  those  who  appeared  to  be  old  members  of  the  congregation  were 
affected  to  tears.  About  twenty  interesting  boys  and  girls  (some  of 
whom  did  not  appear  to  be  more  than  six  or  seven  years  of  age)  occu- 
pied the  front  of  the  gallery  ;  and  produced  such  a  volume  of  tone, 
that,  together  with  the  plainness,  simplicity,  and  solemnity  of  their 
style  of  singing,  and  the  sweetness  of  the  harmony,  made  me  find  a 
witness  in  myself  how  much  this  part  of  our  excellent  service  contri- 
butes, when  duly  attended  to,  to  the  forming  of  that  devotional  frame 
of  mind  so  devoutly  to  be  wished  for  when  we  assemble  to  worship 
the  Lord  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

"  What  excited  my  feelings  almost  to  enthusiasm,  must  indeed 
have  been  delightful  to  the  parents  and  friends  of  the  children.  To 
hear  them  at  so  early  an  age  assist  in  the  celebration  of  the  praises  of 
the  Most  High,  and  to  witness  their  serious  and  amiable  deportment, 
must  have  created  sensations  almost  to  be  envied. 

"  Some  of  the  hymns,  too,  from  the  admirable  selection  lately 
promulgated  by  the  Episcopal  Church,*  were  introduced  with  appro- 
priate tunes.  This  mode  of  enriching  and  giving  variety  to  our 
hitherto  limited  collection  of  sacred  melodies,  is  much  to  be  approved 
of  ;  and  it  is  gratifying  to  find  that  this  point,  which  seemed  to  be  the 
last  refuge  of  prejudice,  is  at  length  giving  way  before  the  march  of 
intelligence,  t 

' '  The  conduct  of  the  music  was  evidently  under  the  direction  of 
musical  talent  not  to  be  expected  in  so  new  a  country,  and  the  pro- 
curing of  which  reflects  no  small  credit  on  the  congregation.  This  is 
a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance,  as,  without  competent  teachers, 
following  the  example  of  Geneva  in  other  arrangements,  however  desir- 
able it  may  be,  would,  of  course,  have  an  opposite  tendency  to  the 
one  wished  for  ;  since  children  at  that  age  are  susceptible  of  receiv- 
ing impressions  which  will  endure  for  life.  And  in  the  present 
instance.  I  may  truly  say  that  not  even  in  Boston  can  they  boast  of 


*The  Hymns,  as  distinguished  from  the  "  Psalms  in  Metre,"  and  212  in  num- 
ber, were  set  forth  and  appended  to  the  Prayer  Book  by  the  General  Convention 
of  1826,  and  kept  their  place  till  the  Hymnal  of  1871  was  published.  They  were 
compiled  largely  from  a  pamphlet  of  "  Paraphrases  "  by  Bishop  H.  U.  Onder- 
donk,  and  the  changes  from  the  common  versions  of  many  popular  hymns  {e.  g. 
our  present  335  and  336)  were  by  him. 

t  Some  "old-fashioned"  Churchmen  of  that  day  strongly  objected  to  singing 
anything  in  metre  except  the  "  Psalms  of   David." 


THE  SKCOND  S.  PETER'S  CHURCH,  AUIJURN 
Consecrated  1833 


A  Childrkn's  Choir  73 

Church  singing  more  truly  in  taste  ;*  and  I  shall  look  to  another  visit 
to  Geneva  with  the  sincerest  pleasure. 

•'  'Just  as  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree's  incUned.' 

••  F'UGA. 
"  Hudson's  Hotel,  Tuesday  morning." 


*The  Boston  "  Handel  and  Haydn  Society"  was  in  that  day  the  m  />lus  ultra 
of  sacred  music  in  this  country.  So  testifies  my  father,  who  had  been  a  Boston- 
ian,  and  was  now  organist  of  S.  John's  Church,  Canandaigua. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


BISHOP    HOBART'S    LAST   YEARS  :     THE    ONEIDAS, 

1829 

|E  find  in  the  last  two  years  of  Bishop  Hobart's  Episco- 
pate, the  same  round  of  continuous  labours  in  the  Mis- 
sions of  his  great  Diocese,  as  well  as  in  the  fast-growing 
city  of  New  York  and  its  suburbs, — labours,  alas  !  more 
and  more  evidently  beyond  his  failing  strength.  In  Janu- 
ary,  1829,  he  visits  the  northern  and  western  portion  of  the  State,  and 
on  the  Feast  of  S.  Paul  has  "  the  gratification  of  consecrating  Christ 
Church,  Oswego,  a  large  and  beautiful  Gothic  edifice  of  stone  in  that 
rising  village,"  and  confirming  forty  persons.  Four  days  later  (Jan. 
29),  he  consecrated  S.  Michael's  Church,  Geneseo,  "  a  brick  edifice 
of  the  Gothic  order,  in  its  exterior  and  interior  handsomely  and  appro- 
priately furnished."  On  the  7th  of  February  he  consecrated  Zion 
Church,  Palmyra,  in  which  also  "great  taste  and  propriety  are  dis- 
played as  to  the  style  and  arrangements  of  the  building."  In  July  he 
visits  the  Oneidas  again,  confirming  97  of  .them,  and  "  was  inexpres- 
sibly gratified  with  the  evidence  of  their  piety  and  Christian  zeal." 
Ten  days  later  he  held  a  council  with  the  chiefs  in  relation  to  their 
spiritual  interests,  "  in  an  ancient  butternut  grove,  from  time  imme- 
morial their  council  ground,"  where  the  chiefs  and  warriors  arranged 
themselves  in  circles  within  which  the  Bishop  and  Clergy  were  seated. 

' '  Groups  of  young  men  and  women  and  children  scattered  around 
the  assemblage,  regarding  with  evident  attention  and  interest  what 
was  said  and  done.  The  address  to  me  of  one  of  the  chiefs,  to 
which  I  replied,  the  speech  of  another  to  the  natives,  and  the  final 
address  of  the  orator  of  the  nation  to  me,  were  marked  by  strong  good 
sense,  and  by  simple  and  commanding  eloquence.  It  is  the  strong 
dictate  of  Christian  sympathy  and  duty  to  cherish  this  mission  among 
the  Oneidas,  who  are  so  favourably  disposed  to  our  Church,  and  who 
are  advancing  in  the  arts  and  comforts  of  civilized  life." 

On  the  1 4th  of  September  he  visited  this  mission  for  the  third  time 
this  year,  and  admitted  their  Catechist,  Solomon  Davis,  to  Priest's 
Orders,  he  having  been  ordered  Deacon  at  Manlius  only  the  day  before. 


The  Oxeipas,    1829  75 

"  The  peculiar  situation  of  the  Oneidas,"  the  Bishop  says,  "  ren- 
dered it  desirable  that  Mr.  Davis  should  without  delay  receive  Priest's 
(Orders.  On  this  occasion,  a  pertinent  and  affecting  address,  drawn 
up  at  the  request  of  the  chiefs,  was  read  to  me  in  their  name,  in  which 
they  requested  me  to  recognize  Mr.  Davis  as  their  permanent  Pastor. 
This  was  done  in  a  simple  significant  ceremony,  suggested  by  them. 
The  chiefs  standing  behind  each  other,  each  chief  placed  his  hands 
on  the  shoulders  of  the  chief  before  him,  and  the  first  chief  on  the 
shoulders  of  Mr.  Davis,  whom  I  took  and  held  by  the  right  hand 
while  I  replied  to  their  address.  By  this  ceremony  they  wished  me  to 
understand  that  a  strong  bond  of  union  was  formed  between  them,  their 
Pastor,  and  their  Bishop."* 

In  August  and  September  (immediately  after  recovery  from  illness, 
and  attendance  at  the  General  Convention  in  Philadelphia),  he  visits 
Avon,  Hunt's  Hollow  (consecrating  the  churches  in  these  places), 
Le  Roy,  Batavia,  Allen's  Hill,  Canandaigua,  Waterloo,  Bath,  ''  Big 
Flatts,"  Havanna  (probably  what  is  now  Montour  Falls),  Catherine 
Town,  Ithaca,  Moravia,  Onondaga  Hill,  Syracuse,  Jamesville,  Man- 
lius,  Paris,  Xew  Hartford,  Utica,  and  some  parishes  farther  east,  this 
visitation  extending  nearly  to  October,  and  including  that  to  the 
Oneidas  already  mentioned.  At  several  places  there  were  ordinations 
of   Priests  and  Deacons. 

The  Bishop  speaks  with  great  pleasure  of  the  procuring  by  the 
"  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge  and  Piety  in  the  West- 
ern District,"  of  a  press  (afterwards,  and  for  many  years,  known  as 
"  the  Hobart  Press")  for  printing  the   Gospel  Messenger  at  Auburn, 


*  I  found  at  Oneida  (Wis.)  in  1S95,  the  sons  and  grandsons  of  these  chiefs  with 
a  vivid  recollection,  not,  of  course,  of  the  scene  itself,  but  of  the  story  of  it,  and 
of  other  visits  of  Bishop  Hobart,  which  they  had  heard  again  and  again  from  their 
fathers,  whose  chieftainship  (with  a  very  strong  moral  and  official  control  of  their 
people)  they  inherit.  One  might  travel  far  to  find  nobler  looking  men  than  these 
Oneida  chiefs  of  the  present  day.  An  article  in  the  Gospel  Messengei-  of  1829 
gives  the  following  account  of  their  behaviour  in  church  : 

"  I  beheld  around  me  a  large  assembly  of  these  children  of  nature,  all  appar- 
ently seriously  meditating  on  the  things  of  religion,  and  the  duties  which  belong 
to  the  worshipper.  No  face  was  turned  in  idle  and  irreverent  gazing  about  the 
house ;  and  when  from  the  vestry  we  entered  within  the  chancel,  and  knelt 
before  the  altar,  the  whole  congregation  by  a  simultaneous  motion  arose  from 
their  seats  and  kneeled  to  offer  up  their  private  devotions.  .  .  There  was 
none  of  that  affected  delicacy  which  prevents  their  more  enlightened  brethren 
from  falling  low  on  their  knees  before  the  footstool  of  God." 


76  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

and  tracts  and  other  publications  in  the  interests  of  the  Church.   And 
finally  he  mentions  as 

"  A  subject  of  deep  lamentation,  the  insufficient  supply  of  clergy- 
men," through  which  "  some  feeble  congregations  are  gradually  wast- 
ing away,  and  numerous  opportunities  are  lost  of  establishing  our 
Church  in  situations  highly  favourable  to  her  extension.  The  only 
remedy  is  that  which  is  successfully  applied  by  other  denominations  of 
Christians,  to  provide  the  means  of  educating  pious  young  men  for  the 
Ministry.  The  Committee  appointed  on  this  subject,  of  which  I  am 
Chairman,  are  prepared  to  report  a  plan  for  raising  permanent  contri- 
butions for  this  object.  The  success  of  the  plan  will  of  course  depend 
on  the  zealous  and  persevering  exertions  of  the  Clergy  and  Laity.  I 
cannot  for  a  moment  suppose  that  these  will  be  wanting." 

A  Canon  was  accordingly  adopted  by  the  Convention  establishing  a 
"Theological  Education  Fund,"  and  making  it  the  duty  of  every 
Minister  in  charge  to  have  collections  or  subscriptions  made,  which, after 
reaching  $100,  should  entitle  the  congregation  (or  individuals)  to  a 
beneficiary  pursuing  theological  studies  in  the  Diocese  under  the 
direction  of  the  Bishop  and  Standing  Committee.  This  is  obviously 
one  anticipation  of  Bishop  De  Lancey's  plan  for  the  foundation  of  a 
diocesan  "  Training  School."* 

These  were  not  only  the  last  words  which  Bishop  Hobart  addressed 
to  the  Convention  of  his  Diocese,  but  the  last  official  record  of  his 
Episcopal  acts. 

The  Diocean  Convention  of  1828  appointed  a  Committee  "to 
devise  a  plan  for  the  creation  of  a  fund  for  the  Relief  of  Clergymen 
of  this  Diocese  whose  circumstances  may  require  it,  and  who  maybe 
incapacitated,  by  age  or  sickness,  from  any  further  discharge  of 
their  clerical  functions."  That  Committee  reported  in  1829  "that 
it  is  expedient  to  establish  a  society  to  be  denominated  the  Clerical 
Annuity  Society  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York,"  and  another  Com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  organize  such  a  Society.  It  was  referred  to 
the  same  Committee  ' '  to  consider  of  some  suitable  method  for  the 
relief  of  such  clergymen  of  the  Diocese  as  may  at  present,  be  disa- 
bled from  the  discharge  of  professional  duties,  "f  A  meeting  of  the 
Clergy  for  forming  the  Society  was  called  by  the  Committee  for  Oct. 
6,  1830,  the  eve  of  the  Convention.!     But  that  is  the  last  allusion  to 

*  Joum.  N.  Y.  I829,  pp.  21-4,  66. 

t  Joum.  N.  Y.  1829,  p.  25. 

J  Christian  Journal,  XIV.  28S.     (Sept.,  1830.) 


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IJisnor  Hohart's  Last  Vkars  77 

the  subject  that  1  tind  in  the  Journals  or  elsewhere  till  long  after. 
Probably  the  overwhelming  interest  of  Bishop  Hobart's  death  and  the 
election  of  his  successor  prevented  the  meeting  from  being  held. 

The  Rev.  William  W.  Bostwick,  of  Balh.  reports  the  founding  of 
S.  James's  Church,  "at  the  growing  village  of  Hammond's  Port," 
where  "the  principal  proprietor,  Mr.  Lazarus  Hammond,  has  gener- 
ously given  to  the  Vestr^'  an  eligible  site  for  the  erection  of  a  church." 
The  same  zealous  Missionary  reports  a  beginning  of  services  at  Olean, 
Wayne,  and  Pleasant  Valley.  At  "  Catharine  Town.  liig  Flatts.  and 
Painted  Post.""  under  the  Rev.  John  D.  Gilbert,  prospects  are  improv- 
ing, and  at  "  a  new  and  promising  village  in  this  town,  situated  at 
the  head-waters  of  Seneca  Lake,  the  Church  has  recently  opened  her 
services  and  found  a  number  of  friends."  This  place  is  called 
"  Havanna  "  in  the  next  year's  report,  but  no  parish  was  organized 
at  that  village  (now  Montour  Falls)  till  1856,  while  S.  James's  Church, 
Watkins  (then  called  Jefferson),  close  by,  7c>as  organized  that  very 
year.  The  Rev.  Rufus  Murray  reports  the  organization  of  S.  John's 
Church,  Ellicottville,  which,  with  "  Oleans  "  (formerly  Olean  Point), 
will  form  a  pleasant  Missionary  station.  The  Rev.  Edward  Andrews 
reports  a  new  rectory  and  bell  at  New  Berlin,  and  church,  rectory  and 
bell  at  Sherburne,  Chenango  Co.,  where  the  Church  had  been  planted 
only  two  years  before.*  Ithaca,  under  the  Rev.  Ralph  Williston,  is 
growing  into  a  prosperous  parish,  with  missions  in  several  neighbouring 
villages. 


*  The  foundation  and  rapid  growth  of  this  little  parish  were  largely  the  result 
of  the  work  of  one  layman,  Harry  N.  Fargo,  a  merchant  of  Sherburne, who  gave 
time,  labour  and  money  to  build  it  up ;  took  charge  of  Sunday  School  and  lay- 
reading  ;  and  gave  himself  and  all  he  had  unsparingly  to  the  Church's  service  till 
his  death. 


CHAPTER    XV 

LAST    WORK    AND  DEATH  OF  BISHOP  HOBART,    1830 

HE  year  1830,  the  last  of  Bishop  Hobart's  life,  reports 
the  founding  of  parishes  at  Westfield, Hector,  Oriskany, 
Olean,  Guilford,  Watkins,  and  Fayette ville,  and  the 
building  of  a  church  in  the  new  mission  of  Christ 
Church,  in  the  town  of  Pompey,  Onondaga  county, 
where,  far  from  any  village  or  even  hamlet,  there  was  for  years  after 
this  a  congregation  including  nearly  every  family  within  several  miles, 
and  more  than  one  hundred  communicants.  The  zealous  missionary 
in  charge  (the  Rev.  James  Selkrig)  built  with  his  own  hands  a  good 
sized  and  good  toned  organ  for  the  church.  For  a  time  the  parish 
did  a  good  work  and  had  every  prospect  of  permanent  success  ;  but  in 
the  end  it  was  found  impossible  to  sustain  a  church  so  far  from  any 
centre  of  secular  life  and  work,  and  the  church  was  deserted  and 
finally  taken  down.*" 

The  Journal  of  1830  contains  also  the  first  report  of  the  Rev. 
William  Shelton,  "Missionary  at  Buffalo,  Erie  county,  and  parts  adja- 
cent," who  took  charge  of  that  station  Sept.  i,  1829,  with  a  missionary 
stipend  of  $125.  He  says  that  "the  present  condition  of  the  parish  is 
felicitous,"  (notwithstanding  the  "disheartening  circumstances" 
under  which  it  was  founded,)  and  that  "a  few  years  more  of  prosperity 
will  place  it  on  a  level  with  any  of  the  churches  of  the  West."  There 
were  then  between  50  and  60  communicants,  six  having  been  added 
during  the  year.f 

The  arrangements  for  the  removal  of  the  Oneida  Indians  to  their 
new  Reservation  in  Wisconsin  (then  a  part  of  the  Territory  of  Michi- 
gan) were  nearly  completed,  and  the  greater  part  of  them  left  this  year 
their  ancient  home  in  New  York,  and  took  up  their  residence  near 
Green  Bay,  at  what  was  then  called  Duck  Creek,  but  has  since  been 
named  Oneida.  A  small  portion  of  them,  with  their  Missionary,  the 
Rev.  Solomon  Davis,  remained  at  Oneida,  N.  Y.,  until   1833,   when 

*  An  account  of  a  visit  to  this  "  deserted  Church  "  appears  in  the  Gospel  Mes- 
senger (XXXII.  22,  Feb.  19,  1S58),  showing  its  condition  in  1856. 
t  Buffalo  was  then  a  busy  village  of  some  6,000  inhabitants. 


Last  Work  of   Hishop  Horart,    1830 


79 


their  old  home  was  entirely  broken  up,  and  the  mission  chapel  sold 
and  removed.  Happily,  the  C'hurch  did  not  cease  to  care  for  them, 
and  they  are,  in  their  Wisconsin  home,  still  her  faithful  children, 
assembling  regularly  from  miles  around  for  the  services  in  their  beauti- 
ful church,  and  taking  part  both  as  Catechumens  and  Communicants 
with  an  earnest  and  reverent  devotion  delightful  to  behold.* 

The  Bishop  made  his  last  visit  to  "  the  Western  District"  in  August, 
1S30,  arriving  at  Rochester  Aug.  28.  and  on  the  following  day,  Sun- 
day, instituting  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  J.  Whitehouse  as  Rector  of  S. 
Luke's  Church,  and  confirming  sixty-five  persons. 

On  Monday  he  consecrated  S.  Paul's  Church,  on  the  east  side, 
paying  (as  the  village  paper  says)  "  a  deserved  compliment  to  those 
who  had  been  instrumental  in  founding  and  completing  the  noble 
edifice,  striking  for  the  no\el  elegance  of  its  arrangements  and 
decorations. t  The  Bishop  adverted  to  the  contrast  which  the  brief 
reminiscence  of  twelve  years  presented  between  his  first  oflficiating  to 
not  more  than  four  Episcopal  families,  and  the  imposing  circum- 
stances attending  the  present  visitation." 

From  Rochester  the  Bishop  went  directly  to  Auburn,  arriving  on 
Sept.  I  at  the  home  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rudd  (the  rectory  of  S.  Peter's 
Church),  in  his  usual  health,  with  the  exception  of  a  slight  cold,  and 
confirming  and  preaching  the  next  day.  This  was  his  last  official 
duty.  A  bilious  attack  (to  which  he  had  been  subject  occasionally 
for  many  years),  so  slight,  apparently,  at  first,  that  he  had  deter- 
mined to  go  on  to  the  consecration  of  Christ  Church,  Pompey,  the 
next  day,  soon  developed  severe,  and  later  fatal  symptoms  ;  and  on 
Saturday,  the  nth.  death  being  evidently  near  at  hand,  he  received 
his  last  Communion  at  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rudd. 

"  When  the  person  officiating  came,  in  the  Confession,  to  the 
words,  'by  thought,  word  and   deed,'  the    Bishop  stopped  him  and 

*  Of  the  thousand  Oneidas  on  the  Reservation,  as  I  am  informed,  there  is 
hardly  one  unbaptized  adult  or  child  ;  and  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  adults, 
both  men  and  women,  are  communicants.  In  May,  1895,  I  had  the  great  pleas- 
ure of  preaching  to  them,  through  their  Deacon  and  interpreter,  Cornelius  Hill, 
(a  chief  now  in  Priest's  Orders,)  and  bringing  to  them  some  memories  of  their 
old  New  York  home.  I  shall  never  forget  the  grand  chorus  of  men's  (as  well 
as  women's)  voices  with  which  the  chants  and  hymns  were  sung. 

t  Still  standing  (1903)  on  S.  Paul  St.,  but  blocked  up  between  two  enormous 
shops,  abandoned  and  desecrated. 


8o  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

said,  '  You  know  the  Church  expects  us  to  pause  over  these  words  ; 
pause  now,  repeating  one  of  the  words  at  a  time,  till  I  request  you  to 
go  on.'  This  was  done,  and  the  pauses  in  each  case  were  so  long, 
that  a  fear  passed  over  our  minds  that  he  had  lost  his  recollection,  or 
fallen  asleep.  This,  however  proved  not  to  be  so  ;  he  repeated  each 
word,  and  after  the  third  pause  added,  '  Proceed,  I  will  interrupt  you 
no  more.'  At  the  proper  place  he  requested  to  hear  read  the  93d 
hymn  ["  Thou  God,  all  glory,  honour,  power.  Art  worthy  to  receive  "], 
and  as  soon  as  the  reading  was  ended,  he  sung  clearly  the  second  and 
third  verses.  .  .  During  the  night  he  said  very  little,  and  for 
about  four  hours  was  nearly  insensible  to  what  was  passing  around. 
He  sank  into  the  arms  of  death  without  a  struggle,  and  his  face  soon 
assumed  that  engaging  expression  which  has  in  life  so  often  delighted 
those  who  loved  him." 

The  Bishop  died  at  four  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  Sept.  12,  1830, 
aged  55  years  wanting  two  days.  In  the  afternoon  of  that  day  his 
remains  were  taken  to  Weedsport,  eight  miles  from  Auburn,  and  thence 
conveyed  by  the  Erie  Canal  and  Hudson  River  to  New  York,  reach- 
ing the  city  on  the  morning  of  Sept.  16.  In  the  evening  of  the  same 
day  they  were  laid  beneath  the  altar  of  Trinity  Church.  The  proces- 
sion on  foot  from  the  Bishop's  house  in  Varick  St.  numbered  some  700 
persons,  including  eighty  clergymen  (in  gowns)  and  many  laymen  repre- 
senting the  city  and  country  parishes,  the  State  and  City  Government, 
the  General  Theological  Seminary,  Columbia  College,  and  a  number 
of  Church,  Historical,  Literary  and  Benevolent  Societies.  The  Buri- 
al Service  was  said  by  the  Bishop  (Moore)  of  Virginia,  and  the  Rev. 
Drs.  Lyell  and  Schroeder.  It  was  followed  by  a  sermon  from  the  Rev. 
Benjamin  T.  Onderdonk,  D.D.,  the  Bishop's  intimate  friend,  and 
a  few  weeks  later  his  successor.* 

I  cannot  even  mention  here  the  honours  to  Bishop  Hobart's  memory 
which  came  from  all  parts  of  the  country  and  all  religious  denomina- 
tions, the  account  of  which  fills  a  large  part  of  the  last  volume  (1834) 

*  Christian  yournal,  XIV.  313-16,325  :    N.  Y.  Anie7-ican,  Sept.  17,   1830. 

The  N.  Y.  Evening  Post  oi  the  next  day  is  the  authority  for  the  incident  which 
has  been  so  often  related,  of  the  military  honours  rendered  by  the  corps  of  "  Scott's 
Cadets,"  commanded  by  Captain  Jackson,  who  happened  to  be  on  parade  in 
Broadway.  "  They  halted  and  divided  to  allow  the  procession  a  passage.  The 
men  were  ordered  to  place  their  arms  in  the  usual  position  for  doing  military 
honours,  and  stood  with  their  faces  bowed  on  their  pieces  in  a  natural  and  expres- 
sive attitude  of  respect  and  sorrow."  (See  Bp.  Coxe's  interesting  account  of  the 
funeral,  at  which  he  was  present,   in  Cent.  Hist.  Dioc.  N.  Y.,  1885,  p.  107.) 


K  r.   KF.V.    TOHX   HKNKV   HOr.AKT,  S.T.I). 


Death  of  Bishop  Hobart,   1830  81 

of  the  Christian  Journal.  The  fullest  appreciation  of  him,  both  as  a 
man,  and  as  an  ''epoch-making"  Bishop,  has  been  given  by  Bishop 
Coxe  in  his  contribution  to  the  Centennial  History  of  the  Diocese  of 
New  York, — an  article  which  should  have  had  a  far  wider  circulation 
as  a  separate  publication.  In  his  address  on  the  same  occasion  the 
Bishop  says  truly  that  the  Diocese  of  Western  New  York  and  its  Col- 
lege "  are  trophies  of  Bishop  Hobart's  life  ;  to  him  we  owe  our  exist- 
ence." It  is  of  course  with  the  influence  of  his  Episcopate  on  this 
Diocese  that  we  are  chiefly  concerned  here  ;  and  we  may  see  that  in  three 
respects  at  least  it  was  truly  "  epoch-making  ";  that  it  left  an  impress 
on  the  Church  in  Western  New  York  which  it  would  not  have  had 
without  him,  and  which  it  has  largely  retained  to  this  day.  First,  in 
actual  growth  on  foundations  laid  through  his  wise  and  vigorous  over- 
sight. We  have  already  noted  the  fact  that  the  Church  in  his  time 
gained  nearly  three-fold  on  the  rapid  increase  of  population  in  this 
part  of  the  State.  He  found  Davenport  Phelps  the  only  Missionary 
west  of  Utica,  in  a  population  of  350,000  ;  he  left  thirty-six  within 
the  same  limits, out  of  the  fifty-two  in  the  whole  of  New  York.  He  found 
twenty  parishes  and  missions  with  five  churches,  two  of  them  unfinished, 
and  less  than  five  hundred  communicants;  he  left  sixty-six,  with  thirty-six 
churches  built  and  consecrated,  and  2,331  communicants,  and  about 
one  thousand  children  under  catechetical  and  Sunday-school  instruc- 
tion.* He  found  no  provision  for  the  support  of  the  Episcopate 
except  the  salary  of  an  Assistant  Minister  of  Trinity  Church  ;  he  left 
an  Episcopate  Fund  of  $46,474.  All  this  increase  was  largely  owing 
to  the  personal  efforts  of  the  Bishop,  but  much  more,  doubtless,  to 
the  spirit  which  his  character  and  example  infused  into  his  Clergy  and 
Laity.  But  of  far  greater  importance  was  his  championship,  and  his 
clear  and  persuasive  setting  forth  in  his  preaching,  his  addresses,  and 
his  books,  of  the  distinctive  principles  of  the   Church,  until  his  time, 


*  The  first  mention  of  Sunday  Schools  in  the  Journals  of  New  \'ork  is  in  Bp. 
Hobart's  Address  of  1S17  (Joum.  p.  17),  where  he  says,  "Sunday  Schools  have 
been  organized  in  this  city  (New  York), in  union  with  our  Church,  which  promise 
the  most  beneficial  effects."  The  Christian  Journal  of  the  same  year  (I.  295) 
gives  the  "Constitution  of  the  N.  Y.  P.  E.  S.  S.  Society,"  in  connection  with 
which  are  schools  of  Trinity,  S.  Paul's,  S.  John's,  Grace,  S.  Mark  and  S.  James, 
in  that  city.  The  first  Sunday  Schools  in  W.  N.  Y.  are  reported  from  Turin 
(now  Constableville)  and  O.xf ord,  in  1S22;  but  instruction  of  children  by  catechis- 
ing of  one  form  or  another  is  mentioned  long  before. 


82  Diocese    of  Western  New  York 

it  is  hardly  too  much  to  say,  slurred  over  and  kept  out  of  sight.  From 
his  time  New  York  was  distinctly  what  was  then  called  a  "  High 
Church  "  diocese  ;  not,  certainly,  in  ritual,  according  to  the  ideas  of 
later  years,  but  positively  in  regard  to  the  Divine  Constitution  of  the 
Church  and  her  Ministry,  the  obligation  and  spiritual  benefit  of  her 
Sacraments,  and  her  Law  of  Public  Liturgical  worship.  In  these 
points  the  "  Western  District  "  of  his  Diocese,  especially,  presented  a 
striking  contrast,  at  the  close  of  his  Episcopate,  not  only  to  many  other 
Dioceses  of  that  day  (which  was  a  decidedly  ' '  Low  Church  ' '  day  for 
this  country  in  general),  but  to  itself  in  the  earliest  years  of 
his  charge  of  it.  Bishop  Coxe,  in  the  New  York  "  Centennial" 
already  referred  to,*  gives  an  amusingly  sympathetic  defence  of 
Bishop  Hobart's  effort  to  give  importance  and  dignity  to 
the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion  by  a  new  arrange- 
ment of  altar,  desk  and  pulpit,  which  from  his  time  was  for  many 
years  almost  universal,  but  now  survives  in  a  solitary  instance  in  this 
Diocese.  In  the  Christia7i  Journal ,  XI.  134,  may  be  seen  the  ground 
plan  and  elevation,  engraved  at  his  request,  of  this  curious  arrange- 
ment, with  which,  he  says,  "the  interesting  solemnities"  of  the 
holy  offices  belonging  to  the  altar  may  be  celebrated  in  the  view 
of  all  the  congregation,  instead  of  being  hidden,  as  they  had  been 
thus  far,  behi7id  the  pulpit  and  desk.  Fifteen  years  later,  the  best 
improvement  on  this  plan  that  could  be  thought  of  was  simply  to  take 
away  the  desk  (a  change  suggested,  I  believe,  by  Bishop  H.  U. 
Onderdonk),  and  use  the  altar  with  a  lectern,  for  Morning  and  Even- 
ing Prayer,  leaving  the  pulpit  still  attached  to  the  east  wall.  But  in 
all  this,  as  well  as  in  his  proposition  of  1826  to  permit  the  shortening 
of  the  Daily  Service,  so  as  to  do  away  with  the  hitherto  frequent 
omission  of  the  Communion  Office,  his  object  was  to  secure  a  sub- 
stantial benefit  to  the  worshippers,  even  at  the  cost  of  what  to  him- 
self might  be  a  personal  sacrifice. t 

And  lastly,  the  Bishop  left  a  deep  impress  on  Western  New  York 


*  Cent.  Hist.  Dioc.  N.  Y.  p.  164. 

t  Bishop  Hobart's  great  memorial  in  Western  New  York  is  of  course  Hobart 
College,  appropriately  named  from  him  by  Bishop  De  Lancey.  The  Diocese 
erected  shortly  after  his  death  a  monument  in  S.  Peter's  Church,  Auburn  ;  and 
another  was  placed  in  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  by  the  vestry  of  that  parish,  of 
which  he  had  been  assistant  Minister  or  Rector  thirty  years. 


Death  of  Bishop  Hobart,  1830  83 

in  the  character  of  the  Clergy  whom  he  gathered  round  him  for  its 
hard  and  self-denying  missionary  work,  and  who  became  what  they 
were,  and  did  the  work  of  their  day,  largely  through  the  stimulating 
and  guiding  personality  of  their  Leader.  Of  most  of  these  there 
will  be  more  to  tell  later  on. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

BISHOP  ONDERDONK:  FANATICISM:   1831-3 

jINLY  a  month  after  Bishop  Hobart's  decease,  the  Annual 
Convention  of  New  York  met  in  Trinity  Church,  and 
elected  as  his  successor  on  the  first  ballot,  and  with 
'  'great  unanimity, ' '*the  Rev.  Benjamin Tredwell Onder- 
donk,  D.D.,  an  Assistant  Minister  of  Trinity  Church, 
as  all  his  predecessors  had  been.  He  was  consecrated  in  S.  John's 
Chapel, on  Friday,  Nov.  26, by  Bishop  White, assisted  by  Bishops  Brow- 
nell  and  H.  U.  Onderdonk.  The  sermon  on  the  occasion  was  by  Bishop 
Brownell,  but  after  the  "  laying  on  of  hands,"  Bishop  White,  in  a  brief 
address  of  strong  commendation  of  the  character  and  work  of  Bishop 
Hobart,  congratulated  the  Diocese  on  the  choice  of  a  successor  "  to 
whose  merit,"  he  says,  "  it  cannot  but  be  a  powerful  testimony,  that 
he  is  the  individual  on  whom  the  deceased  Bishop  would  have  wished 
the  choice  to  fall ;   a  fact,  known  to  him  who  now  affirms  it."t 

Dr.  Onderdonk  had  been  for  some  yez.xs, facile  pi'inceps  in  the  Dio- 
cese of  New  York,  in  which  he  had  served  from  18 16  as  Secretary  of 
the  Convention,  from  18 18  as  Deputy  to  the  General  Convention, 
from  1820  as  Professor  of  the  Nature,  Ministry  and  Polity  of  the 
Church  in  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  and  from  1827  on  the 
Standing  Committee.  Son  of  Dr.  John  Onderdonk,  a  much  respected 
physician  of  New  York,  and  his  wife  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Henry  Moscrop  (one  of  the  early  Connecticut  clergy  under  Bishop 
Seabury),  he  was  born  in  that  city  July  15,  1791,  graduated  at 
Columbia  College  in  1809,  and  made  Deacon  by  Bishop  Hobart  Aug. 
2,  1812,  and  Priest  the  next  year  ;   D.D.  Columbia  1826. 

He  was  far  from  being  brilliant  or  eloquent  ;  not  specially  attract- 
ive as  a  preacher,  so  far  as  I  can  learn  or  remember  ;  nor  of  much 
depth  or  originality.       But  he  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  executive 


*  Chr.  Joum.  XIV.  317.  "  A  resolution  was  passed  unanimously  that  the  Con- 
vention should  unite  on  the  following  morning  in  a  solemn  thanksgiving  to 
Almighty  God  for  the  harmony  and  good  feeling  which  had  prevailed,  and  for  the 
prompt  and  happy  decision  of  the  important  question  of  the  election  of  a  Bishop." 

t  Chr.  Journ.  XIV.  376. 


BENJAMIN  TRKDWELL  ONDERDONK 
Fourth  Bishop  of  New  Vork 


Bishop  Ondkrdonk  85 

ability  and  unwearied  industry,  of  excellent  judgment,  and  thorough 
devotion  to  the  work  which  the  Church  laid  upon  him,  whether  as 
Priest,  Doctor*  or  Bishop.  His  almost  unanimous  election  to  succeed 
such  a  man  as  Bishop  Hobart  testifies  sufficiently  to  the  character 
which  he  bore  among  the  Churchmen  of  New  York.  His  Episcopal 
work  for  eight  years  in  Western  New  York  was  a  model  of  zeal,  faith- 
fulness and  thoroughness  which  even  such  a  man  as  Bishop  De  Lan- 
cey  thought  it  worth  while  to  follow  closely,  especially  in  planning  his 
visitations  and  in  his  addresses  to  the  Convention. 

I  must  note  here,  as  a  striking  testimony  to  the  results  of  Bishop 
Hobart's  Episcopate  in  Western  New  York,  the  fact  that  at  this 
Convention  of  1830  the  conviction  was  expressed  that  the  "  Western 
District  "  must  soon  have  its  own  Bishop.  Dr.  Rudd  says  that  the 
suggestion  "was  regarded  with  surprise,  and  considered  as  full  of 
evil,"t  being  doubtless  to  many  an  absolutely  new  idea,  nothing 
less  than  a  "  State  "  having  been  the  jurisdiction  of  a  Bishop  up  to 
this  time. 

And  it  is  also  worthy  of  note  that  though  Bishop  Hobart's  suc- 
cessor was  elected  "with  great  unanimity,"  some  votes  both  of 
Clerg}'  and  Laymen  were  given  for  William  Heathcote  De  Lancey.t 

Bishop  Onderdonk's  first  visitation  of  Western  New  York  began 
with  the  Commencement  of  Hobart  (then  Geneva)  College,  Aug.  3, 
I  S3 1,  and  the  Institution  of  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  F.  Bruce,  M.D., 
on  the  following  day,  as  Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  in  suc- 
cession to  the  Rev.  Richard  S.  Mason,  D.D.,  who  had  become 
President  of  the  College  the  year  before.  This  short  visitation 
extended  only  to  Sept.  7,  and  included  forty-four  parishes  and  mis- 
sions in  fifteen  counties,  in  which  659  persons  were  confirmed. S 

At  the  Convention  of  183 1  the  Bishop  gave  his  Primary  Charge, 
on  the  Church's  "  Standards  of  Faith,"  "Liturgical  Worship,"  and 
"  Divine  Constitution  of  the  Ministry."  It  follows,  both  in  teaching 
and  style,  the  works  of  Bishop  Hobart,  and  may  be  read  with  profit 
at  this  day.  || 


*  In  the  General  Theological  Seminary. 

t  Gospel  Messenger,  XII.  1 12.  (Aug.  l8,  183S.) 

X  Teste  Mr.  Henry  E.  Rochester  (a  member  of  the  Convention  of  1830),  at  the 
Semi-Centennial  of  W.  N.  V.  188S.  (Joum.  p.  6.) 

§  Of  these  50  were  in  Geneva,  47  in  Buffalo,  106  in  Rochester  (the  only  town 
in  W.  N.  Y.  with  more  than  one  parish),  and  52  in  Utica. 

II  It  is  published  in  full  in  the  Gospel  Messenger,  V.  178,  181,  186. 


86  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

The  Missionary  Reports  for  1831,  though  interesting  as  always, 
present  no  features  which  we  can  give  in  detail.  In  certain  respects 
they  are  nearly  all  alike, — the  steady  growth  of  the  Church,  in  a 
season  of  unusual  and  excessive  religious  excitement  among  all 
classes  of  Protestant  Christians,  through  a  more  earnest  and  faithful 
observance  of  her  own  Prayer  Book  services.  Through  all  these  years 
of  the  "  thirties,"  which  were  rapidly  preparing  the  way  for  the  new 
Diocese,  there  is  a  distinct  and  constant  advance  in  the  tone  of 
Church  principles  and  practice,  a  growth  in  life  even  more  than  in 
numbers. 

The  subsidence  of  the  religious  fever  of  1829-31  was  followed  the 
next  year  by  another  wave  of  excitement  of  a  somewhat  similar 
character,  consequent  on  the  first  epidemic  of  Asiatic  Cholera 
throughout  the  State  of  New  York.  This  new  disease  found  physi- 
cians as  well  as  patients  utterly  unprepared  to  meet  it,  either  by 
medicine  or  by  sanitary  precautions,  and  the  wide-spread  terror 
which  its  advance  everywhere  caused  added  of  course  to  its  fatal 
results,  in  a  degree  which  we  can  hardly  realize  at  this  day.  This 
was  more  especially  the  case,  of  course,  in  New  York,  where  that  year 
Columbia  College  for  the  first  time  held  no  Commencement  ;  but 
the  fear  pervaded  the  whole  State,  and  indeed  the  whole  country. 
The  Bishop  however  made  his  summer  visitation  as  before,  being  in 
W.  N.  York  from  July  28  to  Aug.  27,  officiating  in  30  parishes  and 
missions  (in  ten  of  which  there  was  no  church  as  yet),  consecrating 
several  churches,  ordaining  and  instituting  several  clergymen,  and 
confirming  375  persons.  His  journey  was  from  Chenango  county 
on  the  East,  to  Buffalo,  where  it  was  interrupted  by  the  death  of  his 
father  in  New  York,  obliging  him  to  return  home. 

It  seems  remarkable  that  Western  New  York,  and  especially 
Ontario  county  in  its  original  shape  (including  several  counties,  as 
Wayne  and  Yates,  since  formed  from  it) — a  region  settled  almost 
wholly  by  people  from  the  proverbial  "  land  of  steady  habits" — should 

*  The  Bishop  bears  strong  testimony  in  his  address  of  1832  to  the  fidelity  of 
his  clergy  during  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera,  both  in  city  and  country. 
"  Almost  to  a  man,"  he  says,  "  they  remained  faithfully  at  their  posts,  fulfilling, 
at  the  bedsides  of  the  sick,  and  in  the  families  of  the  bereft,  the  fitting  pastoral 
offices,  and  providing,  in  the  services  of  the  sanctuary,  that  refuge  in  calamity 
which  is  dear  to  the  pious  heart,  and  those  means  of  the  spiritual  improvement 
of  God's  judgments  which  they  so  largely  afford." 


Fanaticism:    1S31-3  87 

from  its  earliest  years  have  been  swept  over  again  and  again  by  suc- 
cessive waves  of  religious  fanaticism  or  popular  delusions.  First, 
in  1787.  even  before  Geneva  had  an  existence,  came  from  Rhode 
Island  the  followers  of  Jemima  Wilkinson,  "  the  Universal  Friend," 
who  represented  herself  as  a  re-incarnation  of  the  Saviour  of  Men, 
and  in  that  character  ruled  with  absolute  sway  over  her  numerous  dis- 
ciples on  the  banks  of  Seneca  Lake  (at  Dresden,  which  they  called 
"Jerusalem,"  and  parts  adjacent),  not  only  till  her  death  in  1819, 
but  for  thirty  years  more  through  her  successor,  Rachel  Malin.  Before 
this  wave  of  misbelief  had  quite  spent  itself,  came  up,  in  1827-30, 
around  the  hamlet  of  Manchester,  half  way  between  Geneva  and  Can- 
andaigua.  the  "  little  cloud"  of  Mormonism,  which  after  three-quar- 
ters of  a  century  overshadows  more  or  less  every  Christian  country, 
and  is  making  a  persistent  and  not  altogether  unsuccessful  fight  for 
political  supremacy.  Coincident  with  this  was  the  Anti-masonic 
movement  of  1 82 7-35,  which,  though  rather  moral  than  religious  in  its 
origin,  and  chiefly  political  in  its  sphere,  was  as  really  an  outbreak  of 
fanaticism  as  any  of  the  others.  That  had  its  beginning  chiefly  in 
Canandaigua,  but  in  1830  cast  128.000  votes  in  New  York  and 
adjoining  States  ;  in  1S32  carried  Vermont  for  its  presidential  candi- 
date, and  in  1835  elected  a  governor  in  Pennsylvania. 

About  this  latter  year  began  the  preaching  of  the  Second  Advent  of 
Christ  as  immediately  at  hand,  by  William  Miller,  which  however  did 
not  attract  much  attention,  or  gather  numerous  disciples,  until  near  the 
year  1S43,  the  time  fixed  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  prophecy.  Its  fail- 
ure for  that  year  by  no  means  discouraged  his  disciples,  who  had  now 
increased  to  many  thousands,  and  were  nowhere  more  numerous  and 
enthusiastic  than  in  Western  New  York.  They  now  fixed  upon  a  day 
in  October,  1844.  (I  think  it  was  the  21st,)  for  the  end  of  the  world  ; 
and  that  night  a  large  number  from  Canandaigua  and  its  vicinity 
assembled  on  a  high  hill  west  of  the  village,  clad  in  white  robes 
("ascension  robes,"  they  called  them),  to  encounter  the  fiercest  storm 
(almost  a  hurricane)  which  had  swept  over  Western  New  York  in  many 
a  year.  How  they  got  home  I  never  heard.*  It  was  long  after  this 
that  the  delusion  gradually  faded  away.  One  of  the  disciples,  a  Can- 
andaigua physician,  sold  his  farm,  like  S.  Barnabas  ;  but. unlike  him, 

*  I  remember,  as  a  child,  being  kept  awake  nearly  all  that  night,  but  I  think  it 
was  more  by  the  actual  storm  than  by  the  threatened  judgment. 


88  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

took  a  mortgage  for  the  purchase-money,  thus  making  a  provision  for 
either  world. 

And  finally,  in  a  hamlet  in  Wayne  county,  within  a  few  miles  of 
"  Mormon  Hill,"  began,  twelve  years  later,  the  mysterious  ''•  Roches- 
ter Knockings"  out  of  which  has  been  developed  the  enormous  delu- 
sion of  modern  Spiritualism.  Two  other  movements  of  mixed  relig- 
ious and  socialist  type  did  not  have  their  origin  in  Western  New  York, 
but  were  most  thoroughly  exploited  here  ;  the  "  Fourierism"  of  1840 
(now  so  completely  passed  away  that  its  very  name  has  no  meaning  to 
most  people),  also  in  Ontario  county,  and  the  free-love  "  Commun- 
ity" which  till  very  lately  kep:  its  place  and  followers  at  Oneida. 

If  the  Church  of  to-day  in  this  Diocese,  with  all  its  external  pros- 
perity, has  much  less  power  over  the  actual  belief  and  life  of  the 
people  than  it  ought  to  have,  these  facts  in  our  earlier  history  may 
furnish  some  reason  why. 

The  "  Committee  for  Propagating  the  Gospel"  (still  keeping  its 
old  name  from  1796)  report  in  1832  no  less  than  46  "  missionary 
stations  "  in  Western  New  York,  nearly  all  supplied  with  the  ser- 
vices of  clergymen.  In  Lockport  (Christ  Church,  with  30  families, 
and  "  several  pious  Church  people  in  the  Upper  Town,"  where  Grace 
Church  was  not  yet  in  being,  hardly  thought  of  )  the  Rev.  David 
Brown  reports  that  a  visitation  of  cholera  ' '  in  its  most  appalling  form  ' ' 
produced,  not  "  panic,"  but  "  a  serious  and  wholesome  alarm  in  a 
high  degree  favourable  to  the  cause  of  religion.  My  attention  to  the 
sick,  the  dying  and  the  dead,  rendered  extra  services  impracticable  ; 
nor  were  they  needed.  The  funerals  were  well  attended,  and  so 
were  the  regular  services  of  the  Church.  The  pestilence  has  now  in 
a  great  measure  subsided,  leaving  a  deep  and  glowing  impression  of 
mercy  in  the  midst  of  judgment."*  Another  missionary  (John  D. 
Gilbert,  at  Catharine)  says  that  "  the  efforts  made  to  produce  relig- 
ious excitements  and  to  draw  the  people  after  them,  have  led  our 
people  to  set  a  higher  value  upon  the  devotions  of  the  Church." 
Here  the  Gospel  Messenger  "is  a  weekly  missionary,  speaking  to 
many  among  us  with  most  salutary  effect  of  Christ  and  His  Church." 
Of  the  old  church  of  1797  in  the  "  Oquaga  Hills  "  (S.  Luke,  Har- 
persville)  the  Rev.  David  Huntington  says  that  "  a  few  men,  who 
by  industry  and  frugality   have    so  far  succeeded  in   cultivating   a 

*Jouin.  N.  Y.  1S32,  p.  T^Tj. 


H    o 

£-5 


Missionary  Reports,  183 1-3  89 

country  by  nature  sterile,  as  to  have  just  raised  themselves  above 
absolute  poverty,  have  constantly  maintained  Divine  service  by  lay- 
reading,  and  have  at  length  erected  and  furnished  a  handsome 
church,  with  no  aid  whatever"  except  the  scanty  stipend  of  their 
Missionary.  In  Mayville  (under  the  Rev.  Rufus  Murray),"  the  Church 
has  become  permanently  established,  and  the  people  continue 
steadfast  in  the  Apo.stles'  doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of 
bread  and  in  prayers."  In  Westfield  (with  the  same  Missionar)'), 
'•  the  Church  in  her  infant  state  is  far  from  discouraging,"  and  the 
people  have  nearly  completed  "an  edifice  beautiful  in  design  and 
neatness, ' '  of  which  the  Bishop,  who  on  Augu.st  25  held  the  first  service 
within  its  unfinished  walls,  speaks  in  terms  of  high  praise.  At  Water- 
town  (the  Rev.  Richard  Salmon),  the  Church  has  had  to  contend 
with  "obstacles  and  difficulties  of  no  ordinary  description,"  its 
friends  are  "comparatively  few  and  powerless,  but  united,  zealous 
and  persevering,"  and  so  have  undertaken  to  build  a  church  "  of 
very  respectable  dimensions,"  and  already  have  it  enclosed.  In 
Syracuse  (the  Rev.  Palmer  Dyer),  the  people  "  manifest  the  same 
prompt  and  energetic  spirit  in  the  support  of  the  Church,  and  the 
transaction  of  ecclesiastical  affairs,  which  appears  in  the  conduct  of 
their  secular  concerns  ;"  certainly  not  an  ordinary  state  of  things  in 
a  country  parish.  But  Syracuse  was  already  aspiring  to  become  a 
city,  though  as  yet  but  a  small  village.  These  illustrations  of  mis- 
sionary work  might  be  greatly  extended  did  space  and  the  reader's 
patience  permit  ;  but  they  will  give  some  idea  of  what  the  Church 
was  doing  in  this  transplanted  and  somewhat  transformed  New 
England.* 

The  Bishop  bears  grateful  witness  the  next  year  to  "  the  uncom- 
mon degree  of  health  with  which  Providence  has  blessed  our  borders, 
a  merciful  compensation  for  the  dire  inflictions  of  sickness  and  mor- 
tality of  the  preceding  year,  and  no  less  to  the  "  general  healthful  moral 
and  spiritual  state  of  the  Diocese,"  evidenced  in  the  "  daily  increas- 
ing call  for  the  services  and  teachings  of   the  Church,"  and    "the 


*  For  these  reports  in  full,  see  Joum.  N.  V.  1832,  pp.  33-50.  I  must  not  omit 
to  mention  that  in  October  of  this  year  the  church  at  Manlius  (built-in  1813)  was 
moved  from  its  original  hillside  location  to  its  present  site  "on  wheels,  with  bell 
hanging  (and  probably  ringing)  and  stoves  standing,  without  racking  the  joints, 
or  jarring  off  a  square  foot  of  plastering."  A  similar  story  is  told  of  S.  John's 
Church,  Speedsvilie,  Tioga  County,  at  a  later  day. 


90  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

effort  to  improve  them  to  the  purposes  for  which  they  were  estab- 
lished," by  "  Uving  righteously  and  soberly,  and  in  all  Christian  quiet- 
ness, meekness  and  sincerity."  In  67  places  he  had  ordained  nine 
Priests  and  twenty- two  Deacons  ;  consecrated  twenty  churches,  and 
confirmed  11 01  persons;  travelling  some  three  thousand  miles,  to 
almost  every  extremity  of  the  State.*  His  visitations  of  Western 
New  York  were  from  May  30  to  June  9,  and  Aug.  7  to  Sept.  18. 
Churches  were  consecrated  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  Oriskany,  Auburn, f 
Centrefield,  Lockport,  Westfield,  Hammondsport,  Marcellus,Geddes,t 
Constantia,  Perryville,  Jamesville,  Homer,  Speedsville,  Rome  and 
Watertown.  In  Hector,  a  venerable  English  Churchwoman,  [Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Woodward,]  had  not  only  given  the  ground  for  a  church 
and  rectory,  [and  a  glebe  of  five  acres,]  but,  in  a  cold,  indifferent  and 
careless  neighbourhood,  contributed  $400  a  year  for  the  Rector's 
salary.  She  aftei^wards  built  the  church  and  rectory ;  but 
she  did  even  more  than  this  in  giving  her  son  and  grand- 
son, the  late  Reverends  John  W.  and  Charles  Woodward  (the 
latter  of  Hobart  College  1844)  as  devoted  and  efficient  mission- 
aries of  the  Church  in  Connecticut,  Western  New  York  and  Minne- 
sota. §     At  Elmira,  the  Rev.   Thomas  Clark    {jiot  the  present  Senior 


*  In  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Kitchin's  Memoir  of  Bp.  Harold  Browne  (of  Winchester) 
Lond.  1895,  p.  364,  I  find  that  in  1869  "he  consecrated  no  less  than  five  new 
churches ;  and  in  speaking  on  the  subject,  ventured  to  doubt  whether  at  any  time 
since  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era,  any  Bishop  had  ever  consecrated  so 
many  churches  in  a  single  month.  It  seems  that  the  Bishop  of  New  York  in  his 
visitation  of  1833  consecrated  (in  W.  N.  Y.)yfw^ churches  in  five  successive  days, 
seven  in  eight  days,  and  ten  in  seventeen  days. 

t  S.  Peter's  Church  had  been  burned  in  1830  and  rebuilt. 

}  "The  Apostolic  Church,"  near  where  is  now  S.  Mark's.  A  story  (I  fear 
apocryphal)  is  told  of  Bishop  Hobart' s  sitting  up  all  night  with  the  vestry, 
endeavouring  in  vain  to  induce  them  to  change  this  singular  parochial  name.  If 
the  story  has  any  foundation,  it  would  seem  to  belong  to  Bishop  Onderdonk's 
time.     There  is  no  such  parish  now. 

§  The  Rev.  Charles  Woodward,  whom  I  well  knew,  was  a  thorough  gentle- 
man and  scholar  as  well  as  faithful  Parish  Priest;  Tutor  in  Hobart  1847-8; 
Chaplain  and  Professor  of  Languages  in  Andalusia  Coll.,  Pa.;  Principal  of  Oxford 
Academy  ;  Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Seneca  Falls,  and  many  years  at  Rochester, 
Minn.,  where  he  died  Nov.  7,  1891,  aet.  70.  He  was  one  of  the  most  lovable  men 
I  ever  knew.  His  father,  the  Rev.  John  W.  Woodward,  an  earlier  W.  N.  Y. 
Missionary,  ordained  by  Bp.  Onderdonk  in  1831,  died  in  1842.  Another 
John,  elder  brother  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Woodward,  d.  at  Hector,  Aug.  25,  1865, 


Missionary  Reports,  1831-3  91 

Bishop)  finds  "  a  small  but  zealous  company  "  of  Churchmen  (who 
have  already  begun  building  a  church),  with  thirteen  Communicants. 
At  Brownville  the  little  parish  '"organized  [.see  page  70  above] 
under  peculiar  circumstances,  has  been  the  pioneer  of  the  Church  in 
this  county,  and  has  sustained  the  principal  share  of  the  burden,  amid 
great  embarrassments  and  difficulties,  of  propagating  the  Faith  in  the 
neighbouring  villages."  At  Homer,  the  Rev.  Henry  (iregory,  (long 
after  this  the  Nestor  of  the  Church  in  Syracuse  if  not  in  the  whole 
Diocese"),  reports  an  astonishing  amount  of  varied  missionary  work, 
of  which  I  wish  it  were  possible  to  give  the  details.  At  Cazenovia 
the  Rev.  Algernon  S.  Hollister  (Missionary  at  Manlius  and  Fayette- 
ville)  has  organized  a  parish,  and  has  "  reason  to  hope  that  a  respect- 
able congregation  may  be  gathered  in  this  flourishing  and  iinely  sit- 
uated village."  At  Sodus  (Ridge) ,  "  S.  John's  Church,  under  the  Rev. 
Kendrick  Metcalf  (now  removed  to  Le  Roy),  has.  with  the  help  of  $400 
from  benevolent  individuals,  completed  their  neat  and  beautiful 
church."  *  And  so  on,  and  so  on.  One  more  paragraph  must  be 
given  to  the  last  Episcopal  visit  to  the  Oneidas  in  New  York,  the 
remaining  portion  of  them  soon  after  joining  their  brothers  at  Green 
Bay,  Wis.  "  The  Mission  Church  of  S.  Peter,"  says  the  Bishop, 
"was  crowded  with  a  large  assemblage  of  both  whites  and  Indians. 
The  Morning  Prayer  having  been  read  in  the  Indian  tongue  by  the 
Missionary,  with  a  peculiarly  solemn  and  impressive  performance  of 
the  chants,  and  the  singing  of  a  hymn  by  the  Oneidas.  I  preached 
the  Ordination  Sermon  in  English,  concluding  with  an  address,  through 
an  interpreter,  to  the  Indians,"  of  whom  nine  were  confirmed. 
"  Messrs.  Erastus  Spalding  and  William  Staunton  were  then  ordained 
Deacons,  after  which  the  Holy  Communion  was  administered,"' a 
large  number  of  the  Indians  receiving.  The  Gloria  in  Excelsis  was 
chanted  by  the  Indians  in  their  native  tongue.  "  The  services  occu- 
pied about  four  hours,  but  the  attention  of  the  numerous  congrega- 
tion, both  Indians  and  whites,  appeared  to  be  unwearied." 

Of  the  two  deacons  ordained  on  this  occasion,  one,  Erastus  Spald- 
ing, the  early  missionary  at  Sodus  and  Phelps,  died  at  the  latter  place 
in  1853,  leaving  four  sons  of  more  than  ordinary  character  and  ability 


aet.  52,    Senior  Warden  of    S.  James's  Church,    Watkins,    to  which  the    family 
attached  themselves  after  the  little  church  at  Hector  had  been  given  up. 
*  Joum.  N.  Y.  1833,  pp.  41-55- 


02  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

to  succeed  him  in  the  Ministry.*  The  other,  William  Staunton,  (D.D, 
1856,)  survived  to  tell  the  story  of  this  Ordination  and  his  mission- 
ary work  in  Western  New  York,  to  the  Council  of  1885,  the  Semi- 
centennial of  the  first  Convention  in  the  "  Western  District."! 


*  Henry  W.,  D.D.  (d.  1891),  Erastus  W.,  D.D.(d.  1902),  Charles  N.,  D.D., 
and  Edward  B.,  L.H.D.,  (d.  1903),  all  graduates  of  Hobart  College.  Three 
other  young  men  came  into  the  ministry  from  Mr.  Spalding's  Mission 
at  Sodus,  one  of  whom  (William  S.  Hayward)is  now  missionarj' to  theOnondagas 
at  Onondaga  Castle,  N.  Y. 

tHis  reminiscences  are  given  in  full  in  the  Journal  of  W.  N.  Y.  for  1885,  p. 
159,  and  are  well  worth  looking  up  and  reading.  Dr.  Staunton  d.  1889.  A  son 
(John  A.,  Hobart  1858)  and  grandson  (John  A.  Jr.,)  succeed  him  in  Orders. 


CHAPTER    XVII 

MOVEMENT  FOR  A    NEW  DIOCESE,    1834 

'«'j|IIEyear  1834  introduces  a  new  and  deeply  interesting 
subject, — the  proceedings  which  resulted,  four  years 
later,  in  the  formation  of  a  new  Episcopal  See  by  the 
division  of  the  original  Diocese  of  New  York  into 
two, — the  first  such  division  in  the  history  of  the 
Church  in  this  country. 

I  have  already  (p.  85  supra)  noted  the  suggestion  at  the  Conven- 
tion of  1830  of  the  growing  need  of  more  Episcopal  services  than  it 
was  possible  for  one  Bishop  to  render  in  the  whole  State,  and  the 
"  surprise"  and  "  evil  omen"  which  it  is  said  to  have  evoked. 

I  said  that  the  movement  resulted  in  the  division  of  the  Diocese  of 
New  York.  But  I  have  found  nothing  to  show  that  any  such  thing 
as  a  new  diocese  was  thought  of  at  first.  The  earliest  allusion  to  the 
need  of  additional  Episcopal  service  appears  in  the  Gospel  Messenger 
of  Sept.  27,  1834  (Vol. VIII.  p.  34),  in  a  communication  which  I  give 
in  full. 

"  Dear  Sir  : — I  do  not  wish  to  find  fault. — the  duties  of  our  Bishop 
I  know  to  be  arduous  in  the  extreme. — but  I  do  know  that  our 
churches  in  Western  New  York  are  suffering  from  year  to  year  for 
want  of  more  frequent  and  more  regular  visits  from  their  Bishop.  I 
hope,  sir,  this  subject  will  claim  the  attention  of  our  next  Convention, 
and  that  measures  will  be  taken  at  once  to  remedy  the  evil  by  the 
appointment  of  an  assistant  Bishop,  who  shall  reside  at  the  West. 
This  step  will  have  to  be  taken  sooner  or  later,  and  the  longer  it  is 
delayed,  the  more  tardy  will  be  the  progress  of  the  Church. 

"  A  Layman." 

Nothing  is  said  here  about  a  new  Diocese,  and  indeed  the  word 
"  assistant  "  would  seem  to  exclude  that  idea  ;  but  I  have  no  doubt 
that  the  writer  of  the  letter  italicized  in  his  own  mind  the  words  "  who 
shall  reside  at  the  West,"  though  the  emphasis  did  not  get  into  print. 
The  Editor  (who  was  from  the  first,  if  not  to  the  last,  utterly  opposed 
to  any  plan  involving  a  new  Bishop)  in  his  comment  fully  admits  that 
"  no  one  man  can  discharge  the  duties  which  will  be  required  by  the 
advancing    importance    of  the  Diocese,"  and    declares    that  "our 


94  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

beloved  Diocesan  perceives  the  need  there  will  be  of  some  relief"  in 
course  of  time,  but  not  yiow.     The  next  week  (Oct.  4)  he  says, 

"  Our  unknown  friend  '  A  Layman,'  as  well  as  some  others  who 
have  called  our  attention  to  this  subject,  will  expect  from  us  an 
attempt  to  show  how  the  evils  complained  of  can  be  remedied,  except 
by  the  appointment  of  an  Assistant  Bishop  or  the  division  of  the  Dio- 
cese. In  relation  to  the  latter  measvire  we  shall  not  at  present  speak, 
because,  to  our  apprehension,  it  must  be  utterly  out  of  the  question 
with  nineteen-twentieths  of  the  best-informed  of  our  Communion." 

Then  he  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  canonical  and  other  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  electing  an  Assistant  Bishop  (an  almost  insuperable  one, 
as  the  law  of  the  Church  stood  then,  being  the  entire  absence  of  the 
required  condition  of  "  old  age  or  other  permanent  cause  of  infirmity" 
in  the  Diocesan),  and  finally  proposes  the  appointment  of  ' '  o?ie,  two 
or  more  clergymen  for  certain  specified  districts,"  under  the  name  of 
the  "  Bishop's  Commissary,  District  Presbytery  (.'),  or  Arch- 
deacon," though  fearing  that  "  A  Layman"  and  many  others  "  will 
start,  fearing  some  bad  omen  in  the  latter  appellation.  Just  such 
fears,"  he  sensibly  remarks,  "  were  excited  when  Bishops  were  intro- 
duced into  the  country  ;  but  we  cannot  believe  that  considerate  and 
candid  Churchmen  will  indulge  in  any  alarms  on  the  use  of  a  name."* 

These  remarks  were  taken  up  at  once  (Oct.  n)  by  the  New  York 
Churchman  (then  edited  by  Dr.  Samuel  Seabury),  which  "  thinks  the 
discussion  of  these  details  premature,  but  must  be  permitted  to  say 
that  of  all  the  plans  which  could  be  devised,  that  is  the  worst  which 
aims  to  supply  a  bearable  deficiency,  and  succeeds  only  in  creating 
an  intolerable  incumbrance." 

However,  "  A  Layman  "  is  followed  very  quickly  by  "  A  Western 
Churchman  "  with  a  bolder  proposition.  An  Assistant  Bishop,  he 
declares,  "  does  not  meet  the  full  necessities  of  the  case.  The 
Church  in  New  York  has  now  six  times  the  thirty  clergymen  of  181 1  ; 
in  i860  she  will  have  a  thousand.  In  less  than  the  age  of  one  man 
the  Bishop  of  New  York  would  need  two  or  three  Assistants."  For 
the  same  reasons,  and  more.  Archdeacons  will  not  answer ;  any 
number  of  them  cannot  do  a  Bishop's  duty.     We  must  then 


*  No  anticipation  of  A.D.  1903  ! 


Movement  for  a  Xkw   Diocese,  1834  95 

"  Divide  the  Diocese  when  it  is  too  large  for  the  supervision  of  one 
man.  Let  there  be  a  provision  made  that  any  diocese  may  be  divided 
by  its  own  vote  when  the  number  of  its  clergy  or  parishes  shall  exceed 
100,  or  200,  as  the  wisdom  of  the  Church  shall  see  tit.  I  could  wish 
that  no  diocese  should  number  more  than  one  hundred  parishes. 
The  Senatorial  districts  will  yet  be  sufficiently  large  for  dioceses  in  this 
State.     *     *     *     You  shall  hear  from  me  again." 

The  Editor  thinks  "  A  Western  Churchman"  altogether  too  san- 
guine as  to  the  growth  of  the  Church,  and  cannot  believe  that  New 
York  will  have  a  thousand  clergymen  in  i860  (it  had,  in  fact,  less 
than  500),  or  the  whole  American  Church  more  than  1900  (but  it  had 
nearly  2200).  Meantime  the  (Philadelphia)  Episcopal  Recorder  thinks 
the  suggestion  of  Archdeacon  ''a  strong  proof  of  Romanism"  in 
good  old  Dr.  Rudd.  "  Where  in  the  revealed  word  of  God  will  he 
find  any  sanction  for  "  such  officers  ? — And  where,  replies  the  Doc- 
tor, is  the  Scriptural  authority  for  Standing  Committees  or  Sunday 
School  teachers  ? 

Next  week,  comes  in  another  correspondent,  '•  Episcopalian," 
earnestly  advocating  division  on  the  ground  that  a  Bishop  should  be 
able  to  pass  two  or  three  days  in  every  parish,  make  himself  familiar 
with  each  congregation,  and  as  far  as  possible  with  its  individual 
members,  which  Bishop  Onderdonk  obviously  cannot  do.  Against 
division  the  editor  argues  again  in  three  full  columns,  declaring 
finally  that  any  argument  for  dividing  New  York  would  lead  '  •  to  a 
like  severance  of  Ohio,  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia;"  and  maintain- 
ing that  the  case  of  Asia  Minor  in  primitive  times  having  315 
Bishops,  adduced  by  a  friend  in  private  conversation  as  an  argu- 
ment for  New  York  having  65,  is  answered  by  "the  fact  that  there 
could  have  been  but  a  single  denomination,  /.  <?.,  Episcopalians,  in 
any  city  or  district  at  that  time."  But  "  A  Western  Churchman  " 
returns  to  the  charge  with  the  declaration  that  '•  if  the  way  is  not 
too  much  blocked  up  with  canons,  sound  policy  will  favour  a  division 
of  the  Diocese;"  that  it  is  too  large  already;  parishes,  like  indi- 
viduals, are  lost  in  the  crowd  ;  the  Journal  is  spread  over  too  much 
ground,  and  comes  to  us  after  the  Convention  has  lost  all  its  interest 
for  our  parishes.  "We  may  vote  against  division,  but  it  is  inevitable  ; 
in  a  very  few  years  all  will  hold  up  their  hands  for  it." 


9'6  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Finally  the  Bishop  takes  up  the  subject  in  his  Address  of  1834 
(Oct.  3).  *     I  give  his  words  in  fuU.f 

"  I  feel  it  to  be  my  duty,  brethren,  to  advert  here  to  a  topic  which 
has  long  most  seriously  occupied  my  mind.  The  rapid  growth  of 
this  Diocese,  for  which  we  have  so  much  cause  to  be  thankful  to  the 
great  Head  of  the  Church,  and  the  consequent  increasing  burden  of 
care  and  labour  essential  to  its  due  Episcopal  supervision,  must  before 
long  force  upon  us  a  case  calling  for  an  important  change  in  our  ecclesi- 
astical polity.  The  anxious  reflections  with  which  my  mind  has  been 
long  occupied  on  the  subject, have  found  sympathetic  movements  in  the 
minds  of  valued  friends  who  have  counselled  with  me  on  this  most  inter- 
esting point,  and  whose  views  of  it  are  of  that  well-ordered  character 
which  befit  a  Churchman's  approach  to  any  important  change  in  the  es- 
tablished polity  of  his  Church.  The  time  must  come,  brethren,  and 
perhaps  it  may  not  belong  distant,  when  this  Diocese  will  be  too  great 
for  unshared  supervision.  The  deep  solicitude  with  which  this  convic- 
tion has  been  accompanied  in  my  mind  has  been  increased  by  the 
many  difficulties  which  surround  the  subject.  It  is  not  to  be  lightly 
approached.  It  calls  for  the  deep  thought,  and  deliberate  investiga- 
tion, of  those  best  qualified  to  consider  it — the  experienced,  enlight- 
ened, and  judicious  friends  of  the  Church,  whose  minds  have  been 
long  exercised  on  her  concerns,  and  who  are  well  versed  in  her  prin- 
ciples, and  well  experienced  in  her  institutions.  To  such — 
deeming  any  more  detailed  reference  to  the  subject,  on  the  present 
occasion,  as  premature — I  leave  it  for  their  reflections  and  their 
prayers,  and,  when  they  shall  think  it  best,  their  action." 

The  Convention  responded  (on  motion  of  Mr.  Thomas  L.  Ogden, 
of  Trinity  Church,  New  York)  with  a  resolution 

"That  six  Presbyters  of  the  Diocese  and  six  Lay  Members  of  this 
Convention  be  appointed  to  consider  the  suggestions  contained  in  the 
Bishop's  Address,  relative  to  some  further  provision  for  the  discharge 
of  the  Episcopal  functions  within  this  Diocese,  so  as  to  meet  the 
increasing  exigencies  thereof ;  with  instructions  to  confer  thereon 
with  the  Bishop,  and  to  report  at  the  next  Annual  Meeting  of  this 
Convention." 


*  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  whether  the  subject  came  up  when  the 
Bishop,  at  the  ordination  of  the  Rev.  James  A.  Bolles,  at  Batavia,  Sept.  4,  met 
for  the  first  time  eleven  of  his  clergy,  a  number  "  never  before  assembled  at  so 
remote  a  western  point  of  the  Diocese  ;"  this  circumstance  presenting  "a  view 
of  the  increase  of  our  Communion  which  imparted  to  my  mind  feelings  of  the 
most  grateful  nature." 

t  Joum.  N.  Y.  1834,  p.  42. 


!1ENK\     AN  I  HON,    I  Mi 


i;i;niamin  dok 


,,i^(0f^" 

V'-^^ 

7^    ^"^ 

.^' 

«* 

'?^i 

flkl' 

k 

PIKRRK  AI.KXIS   l'K(i  \l,     h 


Movement  for  a  Xkw  Didcese,  1834  97 

The  Committee  appointed  were 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Lyell,  D.D.,  Mi.  Thoma.s  I,.  (Jgden, 

The  Rev.  John  C.  Rudd,  D.D.,  .Mr.   Henry  F.  Tenfield, 

The  Rev.  John  Heed,  D.D.,  Mr.  John  L).  Dickin.son, 

The  Rev.  John  M'Vickar,  I). I).,  .Mr.  James  Kmott, 

The  Rev.  Lewis  P.  Bayard,  Mr.  Kdward  K.  Jones, 

The  Rev.  William  Shelton,  Mr.  I'eter  A.  Jay.  • 

Of  whom  Ur.  Rudd  (of  Auburn),  Mr.  Shelton  (of  Buffalo),  and 
Mr.  Henry  F.  Pentield  (of  Canandaigua),  were  from  "  the  Western 
District." 

The  Missionary  and  Parochial  Reports  of  183.^  are  interesting  only 
as  showing  the  same  steady  and  comparatively  rapid  growth  in  num- 
bers and  prosperity  which  had  now  gone  on  in  the  "Western  District" 
for  ten  or  twelve  years.  Twelve  new  churches  are  reported  as  pa*-*'- 
or  wholly  completed,  of  which  five,  at  Mount  Upton,  Big  Flats, 
Angelica,  Sodus  and  Seneca  Falls,  were  consecrated  in  the  Bishop's 
usual  summer  visitation  ;  the  others  were  Norwich,  Bath,  Mount  Morris, 
Greene,  Guilford,  Danby  and  Fredonia.  At  Elmira  there  is  "  no 
church  yet,"  but  soon  to  be  one  ;  at  Homer  (under  Dr.  Gregory)  we 
hear  for  the  first  time  of  a  Parish  Library  (as  separate  from  a  Sun- 
day School  library);  Geneseo  "cannot  be  called  flourishing,"  but 
neither  can  it  said  to  be  discouraging,  with  an  attendance  of  140,  and 
41  communicants;  Phelps  is  weak  (it  was  only  two  years  old)  with 
only  a  school-room  to  meet  in,  and  six  or  seven  communicants  ;  Sodus 
has  thirty  ;  at  Lyons  services  are  suspended  for  want  of  interest  (four 
years  later  it  was  a  substantial  and  flourishing  parish);  Medina  has 
only  the  basement  of  a  church,  but  a  zealous  congregation  ;  Canan- 
daigua has  a  new  rectory  (not  that  it  had  ever  had  an  old  one)  and  is 
otherwise  prospering.  The  Parochial  Reports  (i.  e. ,  of  parishes  inde- 
pendent of  missionary  aid)  number  15  this  year. 

I  note  in  the  Journal  of  1834  an  effort,  the  first,  I  think,  but  more 
than  once  renewed,  to  make  the  Vestry  of  a  parish  independent  of 
the  Rector,  by  allowing  meetings  without  his  appointment  or  pres- 
ence. A  committee  appointed  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Peter  G. 
Stuyvesant,  of  the  Church  of  the  Ascension,  New  York,  reported  in 
1836  an  amendment  of  the  Act  for  the  Incorporation  of  Churches, 
having  this  effect.     Action  on   this   plan    was  postponed  repeatedly 


Joum.  N.  Y.  1834,  p.  49. 


98  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

till  1839,  when  it  finally  drops  out  of  the  Journal.  Whether  the 
proposition  grew  out  of  some  local  trouble  {as  such  proposed  amend- 
ments often  did),  or  not,  it  was  probably  felt  then,  as  it  has  always 
been  by  most  Church  people,  that  it  was  not  in  accordance  with  the 
immemorial  principle  of  parochial  organization  inherited  from 
English  ecclesiastical  law,  which  makes  the  Rector  not  a  member 
merely,  but  an  integral  part  of  every  corporate  body  known  as  a 
"  Vestry."* 

Another  interesting  feature  of  the  Convention  of  1834  is  a  report 
from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Milnor  of  a  visit  by  himself  and  the  Rev.  Dr. 
(afterwards  Bishop)  Kemper  to  the  Oneidas  near  Green  Bay,  who, 
owing  to  the  organization  of  the  "  Territory  of  Michigan,"  (Wiscon- 
sin having  as  yet  no  existence,!)  were  about  to  be  separated,  much 
to  their  regret,  from  their  beloved  "  Bishop  Hobart's  Church,"  and 
taken  under  the  General  Missions  of  the  Church.  The  chiefs 
"  declared  in  very  strong  terms  their  attachment  to  the  Church, — 
stated  that  many  and  great  endeavours  had  been  made  to  detach  them 
from  her,  but  they  did  not  mean  to  be  blown  about  as  the  leaves  of 
the  trees  were  by  every  wind  ; ' '  and  their  council  had  unanimously 
resolved  to  continue  firm  in  her  doctrine  and  worship,  and  hoped  the 
Church  would  continue  to  them  her  fostering  care.  They  had  now  a 
number  of  comfortable  dwellings  on  their  new  reservation,  "  a  con- 
venient church  built  of  logs,  and  fitted  up  neatly  with  a  chancel, 
pulpit,  reading-desk  and  vestry-room  ;|  also  a  small  parsonage  near 
the  church,  which  they  purpose  to  convert  into  a  school-house  and 
build  a  more  convenient  house  for  their  Minister,"  Mr.  Cadle,  of 
whose  kind  care  of  them  they  spoke  very  warmly.  There  were  at  this 
service  70  communicants,  whose  reverence  and  devotional  deport- 
ment "evinced  a  heartfelt  engagement  in  the  holy  duty." 

And  so  we  bid  farewell  to  the  Oneidas. 


*  The  proposed  amendment  will  be  found  in  the  Journal  of  1836,  p.  131. 
t  On  the  organization  of  Michigan    in    1834,  Wisconsin   was   included    in  its 
boundaries,  and  so  remained  till  Michigan  became  a  State  in  1836. 
t  Since  replaced  by  a  large  and  thoroughly  complete  church  of  stone. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

STEPS  TOWARDS  A  NEW  DIOCESE,  1835 

i-g)TJl.\  the  winter  of  1834,  Dr.  Henry  John  Whitehouse,  the 
!^1  gifted  and  admired  Rector  of  S.  Luke's  Church, 
^.|l  Rochester,  returned  from  a  year's  absence  in  Europe  ; 
and  with  his  return,  though  not  at  all,  it  may  be  pre- 
sumed, by  his  agency,  began  a  new  and  remarkable 
phase  of  the  movement  for  the  division  of  the  Diocese.  This  part  of 
the  story  has  been  told  by  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  James  A.  Bolles  (in  his 
address  at  the  W.  N.  Y.  Council  of  1885),*  more  fully  than  it  will 
probably  ever  be  told  again,  and  from  his  own  personal  knowledge. 
He  truly  says  that  "no  man  ever  deserved  his  popularity  more  justly 
than  did  Dr.  Whitehouse  ;  for  not  only  as  a  scholar  and  preacher  was 
he  singularly  gifted,  but  as  a  Pastor  he  was  one  of  the  most  faithful, 
earnest,  and  devoted  that  the  Church  has  ever  had."  He  had  just 
declined  the  Presidency  of  Hobart  College  when  he  was  unanimously 
chosen  Bishop  of  the  new  Diocese  of  Michigan.  But  his  Western 
New  York  friends,  determined  that  he  should  not  be  lost  to  them,  at 
once  addressed  to  him  a  remarkable  letter,  (too  long  to  give  here,) 
urging  him  to  decline  the  election  to  Michigan  on  the  ground  that  ' '  a 
project  for  some  time  agitated  "of  erecting  a  new  Diocese  in  Western 
New  York  would  certainly  be  successful,  and  that  he  would  as  cer- 
tainly be  chosen  its  Bishop;  "no  other  individual  would  unite  so 
much  of  the  good  feeling  and  deep  interest  of  the  clergy  and  laity  of 
that  part  of  the  State."  This  letter  was  prepared  at  a  meeting  of 
laymen  held  in  Canandaigua,  and  presided  over  by  the  Hon.  John 
Canfield  Spencer,  (afterwards  so  distinguished  as  Secretary  of  State 
of  New  York,  and  U.S.  Secretary  of  War  and  of  the  Treasur}'),who, 
though  not  then  (if  ever)  a  communicant  of  the  Church,  had  more  to 
do  with  the  erection  of  the  Diocese  of  Western   New  York  and  the 


*  Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1885,  pp.  152-6.  Dr.  Bolles  became  in  1S33  Dr.  White- 
house's  curate  and  locum  tenens  during  his  year's  absence  in  Europe  on  account 
of  illness,  which  proved  however  on  his  arrival  in  London  to  be  only  whooping- 
cough.  He  returned  in  good  health,  to  do  a  great  work  in  New  York,  and, 
many  years  later,  as  second  Bishop  of  Illinois. 


loo  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

election  of  its  first  Bishop  than  any  other  layman.  This  "  Pledge  " 
letter,  as  it  was  called,  was  written  for  the  W.  N.  Y.  clergy  to  sign, 
and  put  into  the  hands  of  Dr.  Bolles  and  the  Rev.  William  Staunton 
(the  very  two  who  fifty  years  afterwards  told  their  narratives  to  the 
Council  of  1885)  to  circulate.  Of  course  both  of  them  declined 
taking  any  such  office  on  themselves,  and  the  letter  came  to  naught, 
except  that  the  fact  of  its  preparation  being  known  started  immediate- 
ly a  movement  in  favour  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Francis  L.  Hawks,  then  at 
the  very  head  of  the  clergy  in  popular  estimation. 

Under  these  circumstances,  together  with  the  Bishop's  Address 
of  1834,  met  the  first  Convention  of  the  Church  which  ever  assembled 
in  Western  New  York  ;  held  in  the  old  (and  still  presenf)  Trinity 
Church,  Utica,  Oct.  i,  1835.  The  first  business  was  the  report  of 
the  Committee  of  1834  on  the  Bishop's  Address,  which  declared  the 
election  of  an  Assistant  Bishop  impracticable,  and  recommended  a 
division  of  the  Diocese  as  the  only  possible  alternative  remedy  for 
present  difficulties.  The  Bishop's  Address,  immediately  following, 
referred  to  the  action  of  the  General  Convention  of  1835,  proposing 
an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  Church  to  provide  for  the 
division  of  a  diocese  into  two  under  certain  conditions, — a  proposition 
which  must  be  ratified  by  the  General  Convention  of  1838.  But  the 
point  that  "  division  "  was  inevitable  (if  anything  was  to  be  done), 
was  now  definitely  settled. 

Dr.  Bolles  tells  us  here  of  a  very  remarkable  duel  of  words  in 
this  Council  between  Mr.  Spencer  and  Dr.  Hawks  (on  a  matter  not 
germane  to  our  history,  the  management  of  the  old  Church  property 
at  Fort  Hunter,  of  which  we  have  spoken  on  p.  6  supra ^^  in  which 
the  great  lawyer  "found  more  than  his  match,"  and  which  possibly 
contributed  to  discredit  the  "  Rochester  movement,"  as  it  was  called.* 
"  From  this  time  forward,"  he  says,"  the  great  battle  for  the  division 
of  the  Diocese  was  mainly  fought  upon  sound  Church  principles,  no 
matter  what  the  private  motives  of  a  few  individuals,  here  and  there, 
who  had  their  favourite  candidates  for  the  Episcopate.  Nor  is  it 
possible,"  he  adds,  for  any  person,  now,  to  conceive  of 
the  difficulties  which  had  to  be  overcome. 


*  "It  was  stigmatized  in  Utica  and  Buffalo, "says  Dr.  Bolles,  "  as  a  Rochester 
rebellion;  and  so  much  opposed  to  it  were  some  of  our  Buffalo  brethren  that 
they  went  to  the  Utica  Convention  by  way  of  Oswego."  The  only  members 
from  Buffalo,  however,  were  Dr.  Shelton  and  the  late  George  B.  Webster. 


Steps  Towaud  a  Nkw   Diocese,    1835  loi 

'*  For  it  was  not  only  the  first  example  of  the  division  of  any 
diocese  in  our  country  ;  it  not  only  involved  the  surrender  of  much 
of  tlie  State  pride  which  had  always  been  felt,  as  well  by  Churchmen 
as  by  others,  for  the  great  State  of  New  \'ork  ;  but  by  many  of  the 
best  and  wisest  men.  it  was  opposed  as  an  act  of  suicide,  because 
that  without  the  wealth  of  Trinity  Church,  and  the  City  of  New 
York,  and  the  Valley  of  the  Mohawk,  we  could  not  exist.  There 
■was  scarcely  a  parish  in  the  contemplated  new  diocese,  which 
was  absolutely  self-supporting  ;  not  one  with  an  endowment,  and 
almost  every  one  a  missionary  station.  All  we  could  do.  there- 
fore, was  to  fight  the  battle  as  Churchmen,  basing  ourselves  upon  the 
teaching  and  practice  of  the  Primitive  Church,  and  trusting  in  God 
for  help  and  deliverance  ;  and  I  hesitate  not  to  say  that  the  best 
weapon  which  was  used,  and  the  most  efTective  argument,  was  a 
pamphlet  then  published  by  Professor  Whittingham.  afterwards  the 
learned  Bishop  of  Maryland."* 

I  give  here  some  extracts  from  a  letter  written  in  March,  1835,  by 
Professor  Whittingham,  then  in  France,  as  an  important  testimony 
to  Bishop  Onderdonk's  part  in  the  erection  of  a  new  diocese — a 
measure  to  which  the  Bishop  is  said,  I  know  not  how  truly,  to  have 
been  personally  averse. 

"  Of  all  your  items  of  news  the  newest — I  might  almost  say 
astounding — to  me  was  that  Bishop  Onderdonk  had  brought  before 
the  last  Convention  an  intimation  that  the  unshared  responsibilities  of 
the  Diocese  are  too  great  for  him.  I  may  have  misjudged, — nay,  I 
must, — but  Bishop  Onderdonk  is  almost  the  last  man  from  whom  I 
should  have  looked  for  such  an  intimation.  Not  that  I  think  it 
improper  .  .  far  otherwise.  I  am  fully  convinced  that  such  is 
the  state  of  the  case,  and  am  most  heartily  rejoiced  that  he  has  felt 
and  avowed  it.  It  is  another  proof  of  his  manly,  Christian,  straight- 
forward openness  and  honesty.  He  is  a  pillar  of  adamant,  not  to 
be  moved  from  the  truth  and  right  as  he  sees  and  feels  it.  But  if 
the  State  of  New  York  should  be  divided  (as  I  really  do  not  now  see 
why  it  should  not)  one  can  hardly  foresee  to  what  results  the  prece- 
dent may  or  may  not  lead.  Many  of  our  States  must  become  too 
large  for  dioceses.  The  House  of  Bishops  must  thus  be  increased. 
Its  powers  as  a   part  of  our  General  Convention   will   be  more  and 


*  Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1SS5,  p.  156.  For  an  abstract  of  this  remarkable  letter 
(from  Dr.  Brand's  Life  of  Bp.  Whittingham,  I.  184)  See  infra,  ch.  .\X.  It  is  an 
expansion  of  his  remarks  on  the  subject  in  the  N.  Y.  Convention  of  1837, 
written  out  at  the  request  of  a  member  deeply  impressed  by  them.  (Brand,  I. 
185.  He  says  a  "clergyman  of  \Y.  N.  Y.,  Mr.  De  I'eyster ;  "  but  there  was  none 
of  that  name.) 


I02  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

more  felt.  The  representative  character  of  that  body  will  be  dimin- 
ished. There  will  be  an  approximation  to  the  old  character  of  the 
Church  in  the  third  or  fourth  century." 

Whether  from  or  in  spite  of  these  considerations,  Professor 
Whittingham  proved  to  be  the  most  earnest  and  effective  advocate  of 
the  new  Diocese  in  and  after  the  Convention  of  1837.* 

In  his  Address  of  1835,  the  Bishop  commends 

' '  The  primitive  and  scriptural  mode  of  contributing  to  the  support 
of  the  Church  by  a  perpetual  and  systematic  exercise  of  charity, 
under  the  proper  epithet  of  Offerings  of  the  Church."  This,  he 
says,  "  has  recently  been  introduced,  with  the  happiest  results, 
in  various  parts  of  our  Communion.  Its  great  outlines  are  that 
no  man  has,  on  Christian  principles,  a  right  to  the  enjoyment  of 
property,  without  a  thankful  acknowledgment  of  the  source  whence 
it  is  derived,  by  the  offering  of  a  due  portion  of  it  to  the  cause  of 
God;  and  that  according  as  God  has  prospered  him,  he  should  at 
stated  times  give  of  his  abundance  plenteously,  or  of  his  little,  gladly 
of  that  little.  Judging  from  the  results  of  this  plan  which  have  been 
elsewhere  experienced,  I  have  no  doubt  that  at  least  twenty  thousand 
dollars  could  be  raised  for  religious  purposes  in  this  Diocese  in 
addition  to  all  now  raised,  which  would  be  felt  as  a  burden  to  none. 
I  commend  the  subject  to  your  serious  consideration." 

A  Committee  was  appointed,  but  with  no  action  the  next  year  fur- 
ther than  a  general  commendation  of  the  subject.! 


*  Bishop  Coxe  says  in  18S5  (speaking  of  tlie  prevailing  notion  that  a  State  and 
Diocese  must  be  conterminous),  "  Who  was  it  that  woke  us  up  to  higher  and 
more  Catholic  ideas  ?  I  answer,  Dr.  Whittingham,  afterwards  Bishop  of 
Maryland  ;  his  memorable  little  tract  it  was  that  stirred  the  w"hole  Church." 
(Cent.  Hist.  N.  Y.  1,08.)  And  again:  "I  well  remember  the  Convention  at 
Utica  in  1835  ;  passing  through  that  city  to  New  York,  on  that  very  day,  I 
encountered  many  of  the  clergy  and  lay  Deputies  as  they  left  the  canal-packet 
and  exchanged  civilities  with  those  who  welcomed  them.  I  felt  a  deep  interest 
in  the  questions  they  came  to  consider,  but  little  dreamed  of  the  import  to 
myself  of  their  action."      (Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  18S5,  p.  43.) 

t  Shortly  after  this  Convention,  occurred  (Dec.  16,1835)  what  is  still  remembered 
as  "  the  Great  Fire"  of  New  York.  The  next  Sunday  Dr.  Whittingham,  who 
had  seen  it  from  his  home  in  Orange,  N.  J.,  preached  a  striking  sermon  (which 
has  not  been  preserved)  on  the  subject.  Immediately  after  the  service  it  was 
asked  for  by  a  member  of  the  congregation  (of  Grace  Church,  New  York),  who 
on  obtaining  it  with  some  difficulty  from  the  preacher,  said,  "  For  this  I  shall 
give  you  ^20,000  to  be  expended  by  you  on  such  charities  as  you  may  choose." 
The  money  was  paid  the  next    day,  and   acknowledgments   of  various  contribu- 


Steps  Toward  a  Xkw   Diocese,   1835  103 

This  plan  of  "offerings  of  the  Church."  which  seems  so  common- 
place and  matter-of-course  in  this  day  (little  as  it  is  practically  lived 
up  to)  was  first  brought  conspicuously  into  notice  a  little  before  this 
by  Bishop  Doane  of  New  Jersey  ;  and  one  W.  N.  Y.  clergyman  (Dr. 
Benjamin  Dorr  of  Utica)  had  already  tried  it  faithfully,  "  persuaded 
that  no  plan  so  efficient  can  be  cherished. ""^ 

This  year  for  the  first  time  appears  no  account  of  any  Episcopal 
visitation  of  Western  New  York,  the  Bishop  having  been  occupied 
by  attendance  at  the  General  Convention  in  August  and  September. 
I  find  in  the  Missionary  Reports  the  interesting  fact  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  Grace  Church  in  the  "Upper  Town  "'  of  Lockport,  giving  that 
place,  still  only  a  village,  two  churches,  which  only  Rochester  had 
had  up  to  this  time.  But  the  Lockport  missionary  (the  Rev.  Sam- 
uel M'Burney)  officiated  regularly  also  at  Lewiston,  Niagara  Falls, 
and  Youngstown,  the  latter  place  however  having  no  parish  till  many 
years  later.  Christ  Church.  Oswego,  under  the  Rev.  John  M'Carty, 
sets  a  good  example  by  relinquishing  the  missionary  stipend  with  an 
acknowledgment  (by  the  vestry)  of  all  it  had  received  as  "  a  debt  to 
be  paid  by  liberal  contributions  from  time  to  time."  At  Ellicottville 
and  Olean,  a  Deacon  (the  Rev.  Thomas  Morris)  '■  is  much  encour- 
aged "  in  his  work,  though  the  nearest  Priest  is  fifty  miles  away. 
The  Rev.  George  H.  Norton  is  pained  to  acknowledge  that  S.  Paul's 
Church,  Allen's  Hill,  is  in  "a  very  Laodicean  condition."  but  is 
comforted  by  the  propriety  and  devotion  with  which  the  service  is 
kept  up  (even  with  only  lay-reading)  by  the  people  of  Trinity  Church, 
Centrefield.  '' It  is  indeed  reviving,"  he  says,  "to  any  clergyman 
who  is  not  accustomed  to  an  animated  performance  of  our  Liturgy, 
to  visit  a  people  like  those  who  compose  this  parish,  who  are  so 
spiritually  minded,  and  sustain  with  such  admirable  effect  the  respon- 
sive parts  of  our  public  service,"  a  people  who  "  till  four  years 
ago  were  entire  strangers   to  our  Church. "f      Christ  Church,  Sher- 


tions,  altogether  equalling  the  amount,  appeared  soon  after ;  but  the  .source  of 
them  was  never  revealed  till  many  years  after,  when  the  Bishop  told  it  in  his 
last  days  to  his  son.   (Brand,  I.  17S.) 

*  Joum.  N.  V.  1S35,  p.  70.  Frequent  allusions  to  this  "plan"  appear  in 
subsequent  parochial  and  missionary  reports. 

t  Joum.  N.  Y.  1835,  p.  99.  I  attended  these  services  (in  a  little  hamlet 
about  four  miles  from  Canandaigua)  occasionally  as  a  child.     But  the  congrega- 


I04  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

burne  (the  Rev.  Liberty  A.  Barrows)  has  a  bell  and  rectory  (the 
latter  not  yet  paid  for), and  Norwich,  under  the  same  missionary,  has 
finished  a  church  which  ' '  for  neatness  and  convenience  is  surpassed 
by  few."  The  same  is  told  of  Bath  by  Mr.  Bostwick,  of  Danby  by 
Mr.  (Lucius)  Carter,  of  Christ  Church,  Lockport,  by  the  Rev. 
Orange  Clark,  and  of  Constable ville  by  the  Rev.  Edmund  Embury. 
A  brick  church  is  ' '  under  contract ' '  at  Wethersfield  Springs  ;  a 
"  comfortable  parsonage  "  is  nearly  finished  at  Avon,  and  a  church 
at  Lewiston ;  the  "infant  congregation  "  of  Zion  Church,  Fulton,  has 
been  organized  ;  at  Mount  Morris  a  church  is  building  ;  at  James- 
town a  parish  is  organized  (but  was  not  really  in  active  existence  till 
eighteen  years  later);  Geneseo  is  free  from  its  debt;  the  church  at 
Guilford  is  ready  for  consecration  ;  that  at  Fredonia  (under  the  Rev. 
Lucius  Smith)  is  finished  and  paid  for  at  a  cost  of  $4,000  ;  Sodus, 
(the  Rev.  Erastus  Spalding)  has  its  church  paid  for,  while  "Vienna  " 
(Phelps)  under  the  same  Missionary,  has  "nothing  peculiarly  dis- 
couraging except  the  want  of  a  supply  of  active  and  pious  individuals 
of  both  sexes,  who  would  engage  heart  and  hand  with  the  Rector." 
At  Pierrepont  Manor  (a  new  station  of  which  we  shall  hear  later)  and 
Greene,  handsome  and  well  planned  churches  are  ready  for  conse- 
cration. This  mere  outline  of  extei'iials  in  missionary  work  shows  at 
least  that  the  ' '  Western  District ' '  was  in  some  sort  preparing  to  meet 
its  new  responeibilities.* 


tion,  parish  and  church  buildmg  all  passed  away  many  years  ago.     The  latter  was 
sold,  and  the  proceeds,  now  ;^6oo,  form  the  "Centrefield   Fund  "   belonging  to 
the  Diocese,  but  thus  far,  I  believe,  unused. 
*  Joum.  N.  Y.  1835,  pp.  83-107. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

EPISCOPAL  WORK  AND  DIOCESAN  GROWTH.    1836-7 

^^^  ISHOP  Onderdonk's  Address  of  1836  records  another 
of  those  visitations  of  Western  New  York  which  may 
well  be  considered  extraordinary  in  the  amount  of  actual 
labour  and  fatigue  involved,  bearing  in  mind  that  in  1836 
there  was  hardly  a  mile  of  railway  communication  in  all 
this  region.*  There  were  in  fact  two  visitations,  the  first  from  May  1 5  to 
June  II,  chiefly  in  the  central  counties,  /.  e.,  those  on  the  east  of  the 
old  diocese  of  W.  New  York,  and  the  second  from  August  13  to  Oct.  2, 
beginning  at  Brownville  and  Watertown,  Jefferson  county,  extending 
to  Buffalo  and  Lewiston,  and  ending  at  Harpersville.  in  the  south- 
east corner.  In  both  together  he  travelled  nearly  three  thousand 
miles  through  twenty-six  counties  (every  county  in  the  old  W.  N.  Y. 
except  Allegany  and  Wayne),  officiated  and  preached  129  times  in  77 
parishes,  consecrated  13  churches  (four  in  four  successive  days), 
ordained  5  clergymen,  instituted  2,  and  confirmed  668  persons.  I 
add  one  or  two  notes  of  interest  from  his  journal. 

"  June  I,  consecrated  Christ  Church,  Fayetteville  [Guilford, 
Chenango  Co.],  and  administered  the  Communion,  and  in  the  after- 
noon confirmed  24.  These  were  peculiarly  interesting  services  to  me. 
I  first  heard  of  the  zealous  efforts  of  a  small  body  of  Episcopalians  in 
this  place  about  five  or  six  years  ago.  Through  means  placed  at  my 
disposal  by  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Religion  and  Learning, 
I  was  enabled  to  send  them  a  small  collection  of  books  illustrative  of 
the  distinctive  principles  of  the  Church.     These,  with  the  occasional 


♦The  "Mohawk  and  Hudson"  between  Albany  and  Schenectady,  (now 
merged  in  the  N.  V.  Central,)  opened  in  1831,  is  the  oldest  railway  under  present 
conditions  built  in  the  State  :  but  four  years  earlier  a  single-rail  road  was  built  in 
Canandaigua  (half  a  mile  long  to  a  steamboat  pier  on  the  lake),  from  a  plan 
invented  by  my  father  (whose  drawings  are  in  my  possession),  and  successfully 
operated  for  some  months.  I  have  printed  elsewhere  a  description  of  this  "early 
experiment  in  railroads."  The  Cayuga  and  Susquehanna,  between  Ithaca  and 
Owego  (now  leased  by  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western)  was  opened  in 
1834,  using  inclined  planes  and  horse -power  (stationary )  at  Ithaca.  But  it 
used  only  horse-power  till  1842,  when  it  was  sold  under  lien  to  the  State  and 
reconstructed. 


io6  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

services  of  neighbouring  missionaries)  were  the  means,by  God's  bless- 
ing, of  keeping  the  little  flock  together,  and  gradually  adding  to  their 
number,  until  they  could  be  favoured  with  more  frequent  clerical 
ministrations  ;  and  the  result  of  the  whole  has  been  the  erection  and 
consecration  of  their  beautiful  church,  and  an  increasing  and  well 
ordered  parish,  characterized  by  enlightened  attachment  to  the  Church, 
and  blessed,  in  a  good  degree,  with  the  renewing  and  sanctifying 
influences  of  the  grace  of  God." 

The  Bishop  says  that  at  least  ten  thousand  dollars  a  year  should  be 
given  for  Diocesan  Missions,  Education,  and  Bible  and  Prayer  Book 
Distribution,  in  addition  to  what  has  been  done  already. 

"  The  little  stipend  of  $125  to  each  Missionary  should  certainly 
be  increased,  as  well  as  the  number  of  missionaries.*  There  is  a 
great  call  for  the  services  of  our  Church  in  all  parts  of  the  State  ;  large 
districts  where  there  are  no  places  of  worship  of  any  description  ;  and 
even  the  religious  meetings,  so  called,  in  school  houses,  are  too  often 
of  a  description  hardly  calculated  to  produce  either  spiritual  or  moral 
benefit.  The  wildness  and  disorder  which  prevail  in  many  sects 
around  us,  and  the  heresy  and  infidelity  to  which  their  procedures 
are  giving  rise,  are  alarming  many  of  their  more  judicious  and  seri- 
ously-minded members,  and  giving  them  bitter  experience  of  the 
necessity  of  some  other  religious  system  of  principles  and  practice  ; 
and  this,  in  almost  all  instances  in  which  the  Church  is  brought  to 
their  notice,  they  find  there.  .  .  There  are  in  the  State  three 
counties  in  which  we  have  no  church  ;  seven  in  which  we  have  but 
one  each  ;  fifteen,  but  two,  and  five,  but  three  ;  and  I  have  little 
hesitation  in  believing  that  a  proper  system  of  missionary  operations 
would  give  us  a  church  in  almost  if  not  quite  every  town  in  the 
State.  Let  me  not  be  supposed  to  favour  any  system  of  '  proselytism,' 
or  unchristian  attacks  or  encroachments  on  other  denominations  ;  or 
any  trimming  down  of  the  principles,  prescriptions,  or  usages  of  the 
Church,  to  meet  the  prejudices  or  gratify  the  humours  of  others.  These 
would  be  unworthy  of  the  sanctity  and  dignity  of  the  Church.  The 
desire  to  enlarge  her  borders  ought  not  to  be  a  sectarian  feeling.  It 
should  not  be  excited  by  a  wish  to  increase  her  numbers,  but  to  bene- 
fit others.  We  would  receive  them  for  their  good,  not  seek  them  for 
our  aggrandizement.  And  long,  uniform,  and  daily  strengthening 
experience  teaches  that  if  we  would  truly  promote  that  good,  we  must 
receive  them  into  the  Church  as  it  is,  not  adapt  the  Church  to  views, 
feelings  and  opinions  formed  without  its  borders.  The  distinctive 
principles  of  the  Church  should  be  laid  open  in  all  their  fulness,  and 


*  It  was  not  increased  for  more  than  thirty  years  after  this. 


Episcopal  Work  107 

with  an  unreserved  recognition  of  all  their  legitimate  consequences."* 
But  I   must  refer  the  reader  to  the  Journal  itself  for  the  remainder 
of  this  admirable  missionar}-  counsel. 

Of  Pierrepont  Manor,  a  new  parish  in  Jefferson  county,  he  says 
that  "  a  devout  member  of  our  Church  "  t  had  *'  detemiined  to  build 
a  house  for  the  Lord,"  which  was  consecrated  Aug.  16,  and  was 
"  one  of  the  neatest  and  most  commodious  churches  in  the  Diocese." 
It  had  been  the  means  of  assembling  a  congregation  which  had 
been  duly  organized,  and  to  the  corporation  thus  formed,  the  church 
and  its  site  were  given  by  the  generous  owner  previous  to  the  conse- 
cration. $ 

At  his  visitation  of  S.  Clement's.  Wethersfield  Springs,  (Sept.  5,) 
he  found  that 

"The  corner-stone  of  the  church  was  laid  but  about  six  weeks 
before.  By  zealous  industry,  however,  the  brick  walls  had  been 
raised,  and  the  rafters  placed  upon  them.  The  day  proving  favourable, 
it  was  determined  to  prepare  for  worship  on  a  temporary  rtoor,  that 
the  congregation  might  have  the  satisfaction  of  meeting  within  their 
own  walls.  We  were  all  willing  to  hope  that  the  bright  beams  of  the 
sun  through  the  unglazed  windows  and  uncovered  roof  were  symbols 
of  the  brighter  and  better  emanations  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness." 
Of  S.  John's  Church,  Medina,  now  completed  and  consecrated, § 
"This  is  probably  one  of  the  chastest  and  best  proportioned 
Gothic  churches  in  the  Diocese.  .  .  The  chancel  consists  of 
a  platform  running  nearly  across  the  church,  and  raised  three  or 
four  steps.  The  Communion  Table  is  against  the  centre  of  the  wall 
in  the  rear  of  the  platform;  and  in  front  of  the  platform,  on  the 
extremity  at  the  right  of  the  altar,  is  the  reading  desk,  and  on  the 
left,  the  pulpit ;  the"  three  standing  on  the  same  level,  and  the  desk 
and  pulpit  exactly  alike.  The  effect  of  this  is  the  very  proper  one 
of  presenting  the  altar  as  the  chief  place  in  the  church,  and  the 
desk  and  pulpit  as  subsidiary  to  it— a  plan  every  way  preferable 
to  the  so  common  one  of  making  the  altar  a  mere  appendage  to 
the  desk. 


*  Joum.  N.  Y.  1S56,  p.  28.  I  have  necessarily  condensed  the  Hishop's  remarks 
somewhat,  but  a  reference  will  show,  I  think,  that  I  have  given  his  meaning 
fairly. 

t  The  late  Hon.  William  C.  Pierrepont,  so  well  known  in  later  years  to  all  W. 
N.  Y.  Churchmen. 

J  And  for  many  years  after  this  it  was  constantly  kept  in  most  perfect  order 
by  the  devout  care  of  Mr.  Pierrepont  and  his  family. 

§  And  still  substantially  unchanged. 


io8  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

"Another  peculiarity  in  the  construction  of  the  church  in  Me- 
dina, in  which,  I  beheve,  it  and  Geddes  stand  alone  in  our  Diocese, 
is  the  surmounting  of  its  spire  with  a  cross.  The  conceding  of  the 
epithet  Catholic  to  the  Church  of  Rome,  as  in  any  peculiar  way  ap- 
propriate to  it,  and  regarding  the  sign  of  the  Cross  as  symbolizing  its 
distinctive  principles,  I  cannot  but  consider  as  serious  errors,  incon- 
sistent with  sound  Protestantism.  It  is  generally  granted  by  Chris- 
tians, in  accordance  with  the  teachings  of  nature,  and  the  sanction  of 
Holy  Writ,  that  it  is  meet  and  right  to  have,  in  the  construction  of 
churches,  a  due  regard  to  becoming  ornament.  Emblematic  repre- 
sentations are  frequently  introduced  into  them.  Why  should  one  so 
full  of  deeply  interesting  meaning,  and  the  very  name  of  which  is 
made  in  Holy  Writ  to  represent  the  essence  of  the  Christian's  faith, 
and  all  that  is  well  founded,  holy,  and  true  in  the  Christian's  hopes, 
be  discarded  ?  Why  should  it  be  given  over  to  degrading  association 
with  heresy,  corruption  and  idolatry?  Let  it  not  be.  Let  the  Cross 
stand  on  every  temple  devoted  to  the  true  Christian  worship  of  the 
Crucified,  as  indicative  of  this  its  sacred  purpose, and  as  symbolizing 
the  holy  faith  in  which  that  worship  is  conducted."* 

I  must  give  also  his  just  tribute  to  Father  Nash,  as  belonging  to 
the  history  of  Western  New  York  : 

"The  venerable  Daniel  Nash,  for  nearly  forty  years  a  faithful 
Missionary  in  the  counties  of  Otsego  and  Chenango,  was,  about  four 
months  since, taken  to  his  rest.f  He  received  Deacon's  Orders  from 
the  first  Bishop  of  this  Diocese,  and  went  immediately  to  the  exten- 
sive field  of  labour  in  which,  with  a  perseverance  and  fidelity  wherein 
he  set  to  his  younger  brethren  a  most  worthy  example,  he  continued 
to  the  last.  The  face  of  the  country,  the  state  of  society,  the  con- 
gregations which  he  served,  all  underwent  great  changes;  but  still  the 
good  man  was  there,  faithful  to  his  post,  true  to  his  obligations,  and 
eminently  useful  in  his  labours.  The  young  loved  him,  the  mature 
confided  in  him,  the  aged  sought  in  his  counsel  and  example  right 
guidance  in  the  short  remainder  of  their  pilgrimage.  Parish  after 
parish  was  built  up  on  foundations  laid  by  him.  Younger  brethren 
came  in  to  relieve  him  of  their  more  immediate  charge  ;  but  still  the 

*  Joum.  N.  Y.  1836,  p.  40. 

t  He  died  at  Cooperstown,  June  4,1836  ;  was  ord.  Deacon  Feb.  8,  1796.  Com- 
pare the  delightful  sketch  of  his  early  ministrations  at  Cooperstown  in  Cooper's 
"  Pioneers,"  in  which  there  is  very  little  of  the  license  of  fiction  in  the  character 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Grant,  Miss  Susan  Cooper's  equally  delightful  book,  "Rural 
Hours,"  (p.  294,)  has  an  interesting  note  on  him  and  his  burial-place,  in  the 
churchyard  of  Christ  Church,  and,  unknowingly  on  the  part  of  those  who  laid  him 
there,  in  the  very  spot  which  he  had  many  years  before  desired  should  be  his  last 
resting  place. 


Father  Nash  109 

good  old  man  was  there,  labouring  to  the  last  among  them  :  and  long 
after  physical  debility  forbade  very  frequent  public  ministrations,  he 
would  go  from  house  to  house,  gathering  the  inmates  around  the  do- 
mestic altar  ;  giving  great  heed  to  that  important  branch  of  pastoral 
duty  which  he  always  loved,  and  in  which  he  was  eminently  success- 
ful, catechizing  the  children  ;  and  having  some  word  of  warning,  en- 
couragement, reproof,  consolation, or  edification,  for  each,  as  each  had 
need.  It  was  so  ordered  that  1  was  soon  after  his  decease  in  the 
district  of  country  which  had  so  long  been  the  scene  of  his  faithful 
labours  :  and  truly  gratified  was  I  to  witness  that  best  of  testimonies 
to  the  virtues  of  the  man.  the  Christian,  and  the  Pastor,  which  was 
found  in  the  full  hearts  and  tender  and  reverential  expressions  of  the 
multitudes  who  had  been  bereft  of  'good  old  Father  Nash.'  "* 

While  the  Missionary  and  Parochial  Reports  of  this  year  present 
the  same  evidences  of  work  and  growth  ever)'\vhere  as  in  previous 
years,  the  chief  points  of  interest  in  them  have  been  noted  in  the 
extracts  from  the  Bishop's  Address. 

The  Committee  of  the  Convention  to  whom  was  referred  the 
action  of  the  General  Convention  of  1835,  and  the  remarks  of  the 
Bishop  on  the  Division  of  the  Diocese,  was  continued  for  another 
year.  The  subject  seems  to  have  been  laid  over  by  general  consent, 
and  I  do  not  find  in  the  Church  papers  of  this  year  the  slightest 
allusion  to  it.  An  important  step  towards  the  erection  of  the  new 
Diocese  was  however  taken  by  the  Vestry  of  Trinity  Church  by  the 
addition  of  $30,000  to  the  Episcopate  fund,  with  the  proviso  that  on 
the  division  of  the  Diocese,  this  $30,000,  together  with  one-half  of 
the  remaining  portion  of  the  fund,  should  belong  to  the  Diocese  con- 
taining the  city  of  New  York.  As  the  fund  was  now  increased  by 
this  addition  to  $100,000,  this  action  was  really  a  provision  of  $35,000 
as  the  Episcopate  Fund  of  the  new  Diocese. 

One  more  event  of  this  year  deserving  notice  is  the  entrance  of 
the  Rev.  Benjamin  Hale,  D.D.,  on  the  office  of  President  of  the 
College  at  Geneva  ;  an  appointment  which  was  the  slow  but  sure 
beginning  of  a  new  career  of  usefulness  and  prosperity  to  the  College. 

I  find  also  towards  the  end  of  this  year  the  first  proposal  of  a  free 
church  (in  Utica),  free   not   only   from  pew  rents   but  even  from  the 


*  Joum.  N.  Y.  1836,  p.  46. 


no  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

pew  doors  which  for  years  after  this  were  an  almost  universal  feature 
of  our  churches.* 

The  Bishop  made  a  somewhat  shorter  visitation  than  usual  in 
August  and  September,  1837,  in  twenty-one  counties,  consecrating 
three  churches,  and  confirming  268.  The  most  interesting  feature  of 
this  visitation  is  the  organization  of  a  second  parish,  Trinity  Church, 
in  Buffalo,!  which,  the  Bishop  says,  "  had  its  origin  in  a  movement 
on  the  part  of  the  Rector  and  Vestry  of  S.  Paul's.  It  appeared  to 
them  that  more  than  one  church  was  needed  for  the  advancement  of 
the  interests  of  Primitive  Christianity  in  their  flourishing  and  rapidly 
growing  city.  They  therefore  proposed  the  formation  of  a  new 
parish.  The  result  was  the  organizing  of  Trinity  Church,  which 
is  in  an  eminently  flourishing  condition,  while  S.  Paul's  continues  also 
to  prosper  well.  The  most  delightful  harmony  subsists  between  the 
two  parishes,  the  younger  being  encouraged  and  strengthened  in  its 
good  work  by  the  Rector  and  members  of  the  elder.  "$ 

The  new  parish  began  its  services  early  in  1837,  occupying  after 
the  first  few  weeks  a  disused  theatre  on  the  comer  of  S.  Division 
and  Washington  Sts.,  with  the  Rev.  Cicero  Stephens  Hawks,  after- 
ward Bishop  of  Missouri,  as  its  first  Rector — one  of  the  most  brill- 
iant preachers  and  energetic  pastors  who  ever  came  to  Buffalo.  It 
very  soon  became  a  strong  parish,  and  its  subsequent  history  is  inter- 
woven with  all  the  work  of  the  Church  in  Buffalo.  § 

It  will  be  remembered  (though  by  few  now  from  personal  knowl- 
edge) that  1837  was  the  year  of  the  first  great  financial  "  crisis  "  in- 
volving almost  the  whole  country  in  its  disasters, — the  result  of  a  wild 
fever  of  speculation  of  the  preceding  year  in  the  new  lands  opened  to 
settlement  in  the  West.    Its  full  effects  were  not  felt  indeed  till  two  or 


*  In  some  little  country  churches  (e.  g.  Trinity  Church,  Fayetteville,  Onondaga 
Co.,)  the  doors  may  have  been  left  off  as  a  matter  of  economy.  But  I  think 
that  the  seats  in  that  church  were  always  free. 

t  Properly  the  third  vixXtAw  the  present  city  limits ;  but  Grace  Church,organized 
in  1824,  was  at  this  time  in  the  adjoining  village  of  Black  Rock. 

\  Joum.  N.  Y.  1837,  p.  44. 

§  I  need  hardly  say  that  it  has  been  fully  and  well  told  in  Mrs.  Mixer's  admirable 
little  "  History  of  Trinity  Church,"  and  the  earlier  part  of  it  is  pleasantly 
sketched  also  by  Mr.  Welch  in  his  "Recollections  of  Buffalo,"  p.  232.  The 
Parish  was  organized  Oct.  12,  1836;  Mr.  Hawks  began  his  services  May  14, 
(Whitsun  Day)  1837.     (Joum.  N.  Y.  1837,  p.  66.) 


Financial  Crisis  or   1S37  mi 

three  years  later  ;  in  Western  New  \'ork  ihcy  were  just  iidw  depleting 
this  comparatively  new  country  by  the  enormous  emigration  to  a  still 
newer  one,  "  an)'where,  an}nvhere,"  out  of  the  present  home.  It  is 
only  a  wonder  that  the  growth  of  the  Church  in  this  part  of  the  State 
was  not  for  the  time  entirely  at  a  stand-still.  And  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  this  state  of  things  increased  greatly  the  fears  of  many 
Churchmen  as  to  the  possibility  of  sustaining  a  new  I)ioce.se,  and  the 
consequent  acrimony  of  the  contest  waged  over  this  movement  during 
all  the  first  part  of  the  year  1838. 


CHAPTER  XX 
THE  NEW  DIOCESE  ORGANIZED,  1838 

^T  the  Annual  Convention  of  1837  (Oct.  5)  in  New 
York,  the  Committee  of  1835  reported  by  their  chair- 
man, Dr.  Mihior,  two  resolutions  : 

I.     "That  this  Convention  approve  of  the  proposed 
amendments  to  the  Constitution  on  the  subject  of  the 
Division  of  Dioceses. 

2 .  "  That  it  is  expedient  that  this  Diocese  be  divided  into  two  Dio- 
ceses, and  that  the  necessary  measures  be  taken  preparatory  to  such 
a  division, in  order  that  it  be  accomplished  as  soon  as  the  Constitution 
and  Canons  of  the  General  Convention  will  admit  thereof." 

The  first  resolution  was  speedily  passed  with  an  amendment  di- 
recting the  notification  of  consent  to  the  General  Convention.  On 
the  second  a  "  long  and  highly  interesting  discussion  "  was  continued 
through  the  Friday  evening  and  Saturday  morning  sessions,  till  at 
1   p.  M,   the  resolution  was  adopted  "  by  a   very  large  majority."* 

The  Bishop  then  "  officially  announced  his  consent  to  the  measure." 

"  He  had  repeatedly  given  his  opinion,"  he  said,  "that  division 
of  the  Diocese  was  the  only  proper  remedy  for  the  impracticability  of 
its  being  served  by  a  single  Bishop.  But  as  to  ivhen  division  should 
be  made,  and  whether  it  was  expedient  now  to  take  measures  for  im- 
mediate division,  he  begged  there  might  be  no  reference  to  himself  ; 
he  did  not  wish  that  for  his  sake  the  Diocese  should  either  be  divided 
or  kept  together.  The  action  of  the  Convention  had  therefore  his 
heartfelt  sanction  and  consent."! 

Two  further  resolutions  were  adopted  on  motion  of  Dr.  Milnor  ; 
requesting  the  Bishop  to  call  a  Special  Convention  before  the  General 
Convention  of  1838,  "to  bring  the  subject  fully  matured  "before  that 
body  ;  and  appointing  a  Committee  to  designate  the  boundary  line 
between  the  two  Dioceses. 

And  another  followed(by  Dr.  Potter) ^unanimously  adopted, express- 


*  Gospel  Messenger,  Vol.  XI.  No.  37  (Oct.  14,  1837).  The  Journal  only  says 
that  "the  resolution  was  adopted." 

t  For  this  Address  in  full  see  the  Journal,  1837,  p.  57. 

%  Which  of  the  two  (both  then  in  the  Diocese)  who  subsequently  became  the 
Bishops  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  the  Journal  does  not  say. 


Primitivk  Dioceses  113 

ing  "  a  deep  and  grateful  sense  of  the  manner  in  which  the  I)ishu|>  has 
acceded  to  the  division  of  the  Diocese,  a  measure  which,  though  ex- 
pedient, must,  by  separating  him  from  a  beloved  portion  of  his  charge, 
be  a  source  to  him  personally  of  great  pain." 

It  was  the  debate  in  this  Convention  which  brought  out  the  remark- 
able speech  of  Dr.  Whittingham  already  alluded  to,  on  Primitive 
Dioceses.     I  can  only  give  the  argument  of  it  very  brieHy. 

"It  is  one  thing,"  he  says,  "to  possess  a  valid  ministry,  and 
another  to  have  that  ministry  as  instituted  by  the  Apostles. 
We  might  decide  that  all  our  ministers  should  be  bishops,  and  so 
break  down  what  separates  us  from  many  who  bear  the  Christian 
name.  Why  not  do  it  then.'  Because  our  Episcopacy  would  no 
longer  be  Scriptural  and  Apostolic.  But  again.  Episcopacy  may  be 
materially  if  not  essentially  effected  by  the  limits  assigned  to  each 
Bishop.  .  .  His  duties  are  not  merely  functional  ;  they  are  liter- 
ally the  '  care  of  the  Churches.'  The  Ordinal  has  established  the 
spiritual  character  of  the  office,  rather  than  the  ecclesiastical. 
Yet  this  character  may  be  destroyed  by  the  enlargement  of  his  dio- 
cese ;  it  is  the  tendency  of  such  enlargement  to  destroy  it.  Those 
boundaries  have  been  enlarged  ;  there  are  few  now  corresponding  in 
extent  or  number  of  souls  with  those  of  the  first  ages.  [This  fact  is 
traced  through  the  history  of  Episcopal  jurisdictions  in  Europe,  as 
due  to  Roman  and  worldly  policy.]  .  .  Increased  facilities  of  travel 
and  intercourse  are  no  ground  for  a  departure  from  primitive  usage 
which  destroys  the  spiritual  oversight  of  a  Bishop.  Men  have  not 
changed,  if  roads  have  ;  their  spiritual  wants  are  the  same  as  in 
Apostolic  days.  Episcopacy  is  a  different  thing  in  a  diocese  of  three 
hundred  parishes  and  one  of  thirty.  In  the  former,  the  bishop  is  the 
overseer  of  the  clergy,  not  of  the  Church  ;  his  intercourse  with  his 
flock  is  indirect  ;  he  cannot  be  their  Pastor.  The  crisis  has  arrived 
when  we  must  decide  between  the  primitive  simplicity  of  the  Church 
in  the  first  ages,  and  the  hierarchical  character  which  her  ministry 
assumed  after  its  alliance  with  the  civil  government." 

We  are  almost  too  familiar  with  such  arguments  in  this  day  to 
realize  the  sort  of  shock  which  they  gave  to  the  average  Churchman  of 
1838.  or  the  conviction  which  their  bold  utterance  carried  to  the  minds 
of  many  who  had  perhaps  been  unconsciously  groping  their  way  to 
some  such  conclusion. 

But  the  battle  was  by  no  means  won.  The  columns  of  the  Gospel 
Messenger  and  the  New  York  Churchman  for  the  first  half  of  1838 
teem  with   communications /r<;  and  con.  of  great  spirit  and  sometimes 


114  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

of  much  ability.  The  historical  interest  of  these  articles  would  be 
much  greater  if  we  could  know  their  authors  ;  they  are  mostly  hidden  un- 
der the  signatures  of  "  A  Western  Churchman,"  "  Young  Presbyter 
of  the  West,"  "  Presbyter  of  the  West,"  "  Amicus  Ecclesiae," 
"Latimer,"  "Ridley,"  "  Honestus,"  "Nolens,"  "  Cui  Bono," 
and  all  the  letters  of  the  alphabet.  The  great  argument  in  opposi- 
tion is  of  course  (as  it  is  to  this  day,  in  most  cases)  the  7no7iey  argu- 
ment ;  that  to  separate  the  poor  missionary  parishes  from  the  wealth 
of  the  City  of  New  York  was  all  but  suicidal.  This  apprehension  of 
evil  was  entertained  of  course  chiefly  by  laymen,  but  by  many  of  the 
clergy  also.  The  centre  of  this  fear  was  on  the  Eastern  border  of  the 
proposed  new  Diocese,  and  on  the  decisive  vote  in  the  Special  Con- 
vention of  1838,  13  of  the  18  lay  votes  against  division  (to  64  in 
favour)  were  from  the  four  "  border  "  counties,  Oneida,  Jefferson, 
Chenango  and  Broome  ;  two  from  Onondaga  and  one  each  from 
Chemung  and  Tioga  ;  one  from  Otsego  (east  of  the  line),  and  not  one 
from  the  present  Diocese  of  Western  New  York.  The  clerical  vote 
(67  to  32)  was  naturally  less  affected  by  localities.  After  the  vote 
was  taken,  Madison,  Tompkins  and  Tioga  counties  pleaded  in  vain 
to  be  left  in  the  "  Eastern  Diocese  ;"  and  later  still,  at  the  ad- 
journed session  of  the  Special  Convention  (held  after  the  General 
Convention  of  1838)  two  parishes  in  Jefferson  county  were  allowed  to 
record  their  solemn  protest  against  being  included  in  the  new  Diocese, 
on  the  grouud  that  "  coercion  of  the  Church's  members  against  the 
honest  conviction  of  their  own  judgment  should  not  be  attempted  " 
in  a  case  like  this  ;  *  not  seeing,  doubtless,  that  the  logical  outcome 
of  their  argument  would  make  it  impossible  for  the  new  Diocese  to 
have  any  Eastern  boundary  line. 

The  most  amusing  articles,  perhaps,  in  the  Messenger  of  1838,  are 
' '  A  Peep  into  Futurity, ' '  the  comments  of  a  farmer  on  the  too  frequent 
visitations  of  the  new  Bishop,  who  "  comes  so  often  they  would  just 
as  soon  hear  any  other  clergyman,"  and  comes  too  "in  a  one-horse 
wagon  heavily  laden  "  (with  his  family,  it  may  be  presumed),  while 
"  before  the  Diocese  was  divided  we  could  always  give  our  Bishop  a 
comfortable  conveyance  ;"  then  "  in  old  times  we  had  such  a  kind 
friend  to  help  us  in  old  Trinity  Church,  but  now  we  have   no  more 


*  Joum.  N.  Y.  Adj.  Spec.  Conv.  1838,  p.  7. 


Peeps  into  Futurity,    1838  115 

claim  on  her  than  any  other  Diocese."  So  the  farmer  and  his  friend 
agree  in  sorrow  "that  things  have  taken  such  a  turn,"  but,  we  are 
happy  to  say.  conclude  to  go  to  church  and  make  the  best  of  it.* 

But  three  weeks  later  comes  "A  Farther  Peep  into  Futurity," 
twice  as  long  and  far  more  able  and  witty,  by  •*  Second  Sight,  "whom 
we  are  glad  to  know  was  no  other  than  Bknj.\min  Hale.  He  tells 
us  that  "  after  the  Bishop's  visit  was  over,"  Farmer  Joslin  and  his 
friend  were"  in  quite  another  humour."  The  fanner  thinks  there  "  is 
a  sweet  gleam  of  sunshine  all  over  the  parish."  The  Bishop  has 
stayed  long  enough  to  take  them  all  by  the  hand,  to  talk  with  each 
one,  even  to  heal  little  troubles  which  the  "parson"  had  been 
unable  to  reach,  to  "  draw  the  children  around  him  "  and  give  them 
his  blessing, to  show  himself  "  not  merely  in  his  robes  and  the  thunder 
of  his  eloquence,  but  in  the  meekness  and  love  of  a  humble  Chris- 
tian." The  farmers  find,  too,  that  "  it  is  not  going  to  be  as  bad  as 
we  expected  about  our  poor  parishes  ;"  that  New  York  and  Trinity 
Church  are  not  going  to  cut  them  off  all  at  once  ;  and  that  Western 
New  York  is  really  not  so  very  poor  after  all.  The  only  sad  thing  is 
that  they  will  not  often  see  their  old  Bishop,  '"that  warm-hearted  man, 
who  has  endeared  himself  so  much  to  both  clergy  and  people."!  It 
is  a  great  pity  to  condense  Dr.  Hale's  paper ;  those  who  have  access 
to  the  old  Gospel  Messenger  \\\A  find  it  worth  reading  in  full.  He 
wrote  several  other  able  articles  for  the  Messenger  (those  signed 
"  Latimer  "  and  "  Ridley  "  were  by  him)  and  also  a  pamphlet,  which 
had  much  influence  in  allaying  the  opposition. t  The  venerable 
Editor  of  the  Messenger  (now  published  at  Utica)  was  on  the  other 
hand  strongly  opposed  to  division,  though  he  wrote  little,  and  with 
his  accustomed  prudence  and  mildness. 

All  argument  was  ended,  of  course,  by  the  decisive  vote  of  the 
Special  Convention  of  August  22,  1838,  and  its  adjourned  session  of 
Sept.  1 1,  following  the  ratification  by  the  General  Convention  of  the 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  providing  for  division  of  Dioceses. 
The  final  resolution  of  the  adjourned  session  is  : 

"  That  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  State  of  New  York 
be  divided  into  two  Dioceses,  and  that  the  line  formed  by  the  present 


*  Gospel  Messenger,  April  14,  1S38. 
t  Gospel  Messenger,  May  12,  1838. 
X  See  his  Memoir  by  the  Rev.  Malcolm  Douglass,  D.D.,  p.  47. 


ii6  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Eastern  boundary  lines  of  the  counties  of  Broome,  Chenango,  Madi- 
son, Oneida  and  Lewis,  and  the  north-easterly  line  of  the  county  of 
Jefferson,  as  the  said  lines  of  those  counties  are  now  established  by 
law,  be  the  boundary  line  between  the  said  Dioceses ;  that  such 
division  take  effect  on  the  first  day  of  November  next  ;  and  that  the 
Delegates  from  this  Diocese  to  the  General  Convention  be  requested 
to  present  this  resolution,  duly  authenticated,  to  the  General  Conven- 
tion, now  in  session  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  request  its  consent 
to  and  ratification  of  the  said  division." 

It  was  also  resolved  that  the  names  of  the  respective  Dioceses  be 
determined  at  the  Annual  Convention  in  October  ;  and  a  Committee 
was  appointed  to  report  at  that  time  on  a  "  provision  for  the  support 
of  the  Bishops  in  the  respective  Dioceses  of  New  York."*  Three 
days  later,  Sept.  14,  the  action  of  the  Diocese,  with  the  formal  con- 
sent of  the  Bishop,  was  laid  before  the  General  Convention,  and 
immediately  ratified  by  both  Houses  of  that  Body.f  On  the  19th 
the  Bishop  announced  to  the  Diocese  his  choice  of  ' '  that  diocese 
which  embraced  his  native  city  "  for  his  own  charge,  it  having  been 
his  only  home  through  life.  On  the  27th  of  October  the  Convention 
decided  unanimously  that  $35,000,  one-half  of  the  disposable  fund 
for  the  Episcopate,  should  be  secured  to  the  new  Diocese  for  the 
support  of  its  Bishop,  t 

At  the  same  time  it  was  resolved,  on  motion  of  Dr.  Hale,  that  the 
new  Diocese  should  be  denominated  "  The  Diocese  of  Western  New 
York."  I  find  no  record  whatever  of  any  debate  on  this  subject  ; 
through  a  correspondent  of  the  Boston  Christian  Witness  suggested 
the  ancient  and  Catholic  usage  of  the  name  of  a  city,  and  another 
one    proposed  the  name   "  Ontario.  "§     But  "Western   New  York" 


*  Joum.  Spec.  Conv.  Adj.  Sess.  p.  8. 

tjoum.  Gen.  Conv.  1838,  pp.  70,  106. 

t  Joum.  N.  Y.    1838,  p.  61. 

§  "We  hope  the  [General]  Convention  will  think  of  the  propriety  of  returning 
to  the  primitive  practice  of  entitling  dioceses  by  the  names  of  their  chief  cities, 
Alexandria,  Carthage,  Jerusalem,  Ephesus,  in  the  early  history  of  the 
Church,  .  .  and  Canterbury,  York,  London,  Winchester,  etc.,  designate  dio- 
ceses in  our  Mother  Church.  Now  is  a  favourable  time  for  moving  the  expediency 
of  adopting  this  practice.  '  Western  Diocese  of  New  York  '  may  be  a  con- 
venient name  for  the  new  Bishopric  (even  that  is  far  too  circumstantial  and 
descriptive),  but  what  names  will  be  devised  when  the  two  great  Dioceses  of 
New  York,  almost  unwieldly  at  their  very  organization,  shall  be  again  subdi- 
vided?    The  action  of  New   York  on   this  subject  is  an  example   which  will  be 


Sees  and  Provinces  117 

had  for  many  years  been  a  popular  and  familiar  name  for  this  portion 
of  the  Slate,  among  all  classes  of  people  ;  and  as  the  very  phrase 
"  See  Episcopate  "  was  hardly  known  then,  much  less  the  principle 
which  it  sets  forth,  it  is  not  at  all  strange  that  a  name  was  chosen 
which  in  later  years  has  been  felt  by  very  many — most  of  all  by  our 
late  Bishop — to  be  an  unfortunate  precedent. 

The  argument  of  Dr.  Hale's  pamphlet  on  the  division  of  the  Dio- 
cese, I  should  add,  was  substantially  an  argument  for  the  Provin- 
cial System  in  the  American  Church  (and  in  the  very  form  in  which 
provision  was  subsequently  made  for  it  by  the  Canon  on  '•  Federate 
Councils"),  as  that  of  Bishop  Whittingham's  pamphlet  was  for  the 
See  Episcopate. 

"  Our  States,"  he  says.  "  are  in  some  respects  sovereignties  ;  and 
the  dioceses  within  the  same  State  (for  there  will  by-and-by  be  a 
division  in  other  States  as  well  as  ours),  may  be  rei^arded  as  constitut- 
ing in  a  manner  one  C/iurch,  being  invested  with  a  sort  of  sub- 
national  unity,  as  our  States  are  sub-nations."* 

These  are  golden  words  ;  far  ahead  of  their  day,  and  even  of  our 
own  day,  as  is  still  Bishop  Whittingham's  argument ;  but  there  is  no 
question  that  both  had  a  powerful  influence  in  the  unanimity  of  that 
final  decision,  which  made  Western  New  York  a  leader  and  example 
to  the  whole  Church  in  the  United  States. 

The  last  action  of  the  Annual  Council  of  New  York  for  1838,  is 
recorded  in  these  words  : 

"  On  motion  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Milnor.  the  following  entry  was 
ordered  to  be  made  on  the  Journal  : 

"The  measures  for  the  division  of  this  Diocese  having  been  com- 
menced in  a  spirit  of  brotherly  love,  and  with  a  view  to  the  best 
interests  of  religion  and  the  Church  ;  and  having,  under  the  blessing 
of  God,  been  brought  to  a  happy  conclusion  ;  and  the  moment  being 
at  hand,  when,  in  consequence  of  the  harmonious  action  on  this  sub- 
ject in  this  Convention,  and  in  the  General  Convention  of  the  Church, 
the  members  of  the  former  are  about  to  .separate,  not  to  meet  together 
again  as  one  body  ;  this  Convention  desires,  as  its  last  solemn  act, 
to  record  on  its  Journal    the    expression   of  its   devout  gratitude  to 

followed  sooner  or  later  by  other  dioceses.  The  present  is  therefore  the  most 
auspicious  period  formaking  aprecedent  forcasesof  this  nature."  {Christian  IVit- 
ness  (Boston),  Sept.  7,  1838,  quoted  in  the  Gospel  Messenger  of  Sept.  15  "with- 
out note  or  comment.") 

*  Gospel  Messenger,  XII.  70.     (June  2,  1B38.) 


ii8  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Almighty  God,  for  the  amicable  spirit  and  propitious  termination  of 
their  deliberations,  and  of  the  entire  good-will  and  affection  with  which 
they  now  part  from  each  other  ;  as  well  as  their  mutual  resolution,  in 
their  future  separate  spheres  of  duty,  still  to  cultivate  the  most  friendly 
relations  towards  each  other,  and  to  redouble  their  efforts  for  the 
promotion  of  the  glory  of  God,  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer,  and  the 
prosperity  of  our  beloved  Church,  as  His  gracious  providence  may 
afford  them  opportunities,  and  His  Spirit  ability  for  that  purpose." 


END    OF    THE    SECOND    PART 


PART  THIRD 


DIOCESE   OF   WESTERN    NEW    YORK  :   1838-68 


CHAPTER    XXI 


ELECTION  AND  CONSECRATION  OF  BISHOP  DE  LANCEY 

[|HE  New  (now  old)  Diocese  of  Western  New  York  came 
into  being  with  the  assembling  of  its  Primary  Conven- 
tion (as  called  by  the  Bishop  of  New  York)  in  Trinity 
Church,  Geneva,  on  All  Saints'  Day,  Thursday,  Nov- 
ember I,  1838.  By  the  request  of  "several  of  the 
Clergy  and  Laity  of  the  new  Diocese,"  the  proceedings  were  opened 
by  their  late  Diocesan,  Bishop  Onderdonk,  with  the  celebration  of  the 
Holy  Communion  and  a  Sermon.  In  the  vacancy  of  the  Bishopric, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Rudd  was  made  Chairman  ;  the  Rev.  Pierre  A.  Proal, 
D.D.,  was  chosen  Secretary;  and  these,  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Shelton, 
were  appointed  a  Committee  on  Credentials.  On  re-assembling  at 
three  o'clock,  p.  m.,  their  report  was  presented,  and  48  Priests  and 
Deacons  (later  two  more,  making  50  in  all)  answered  to  their  names, 
II  entitled  to  seats  being  absent.  Of  the  Lay-Delegates  there  were 
present  102,  representing  42  parishes,  out  of  96  in  the  Diocese. 

It  seems  to  me  worth  while  to  preserve  here  the  names  of  the  Clergy 
who  formed  this  first  Western  New  York  Council. 

They  were 
William  Allanson, 
Henry  S.  Attwater, 
Liberty  A.  Barrows, 
John  Bayley, 
Seth  W.  Beardsley, 
James  A.  Bolles, 
William  W.  Bostwick, 


Nathan  B.  Burgess, 
Clement  M.  Butler, 
Lucius  Carter, 
Joseph  T.  Clarke, 
Orange  Clark,  D.D., 
Ebenezer  H.  Cressey, 
Samuel  Cooke, 


Johnson  A.  Brayton, 


George  Uenison, 


I20  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

William  E.  Eigenbrodt,  Pierre  Alexis  Proal, 

Edmund  Embury,  John  C.  Rudd,  D.D., 

John  B.  Gallagher,  Thomas  J.  Ruger, 

Benjamin  Hale,  D.D.,  William  Shelton,  D.U., 

Cicero  S.  Hawks,  Lucius  Smith, 

Pierre  P.  Irving,  Richard  Smith, 

Bethel  Judd,  D.D.,  Erastus  Spalding, 

William  Lucas,  Henry  L.  Storrs, 

John  M'Carty,  Louis  Thibou,  Jr., 

Stephen  M'Hugh,  Foster  Thayer, 

Thomas  Meachem,  Henry  Tullidge, 

Kendrick  Metcalf,  John  V.  Van  Ingen, 

Thomas  Morris,  Russell  Wheeler, 

Rufus  Murray,  Henry  J.  Whitehouse,  D.D., 

George  H.  Norton,  Marshall  Whiting, 

Henry  Peck,  Gordon  Winslow, 

Augustine  P.  Prevost,  Lloyd  Windsor. 

The  last  survivor  of  these,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Cooke,  D.D.,  of 
Stamford,  Conn.,  entered  into  rest  Oct.  28,  1903,  aet.  88. 

Of  the  laymen,  those  familiar  with  old  Western  New  York  will  re- 
call at  least  a  few  honoured  names  :  such  as 

Hachaliah  Burt,  George  B.  Throop,  Jonathan  Sprague,  Thomas  Maxwell, 
George  B.  Webster,  David  E.  Evans,  Heman  J.  Redfield,  Elisha  Stanley,  Wil- 
liam C.  Pierrepont,  Charles  li.  Carroll,  George  H.  Mumford,  Vincent  Matthews, 
Frederick  Whittlesey,  E.  Darwin  Smith,  Henry  E.  Rochester,  Pascal  C.  J. 
De  Angelis,  John  E.  Hinman,  Thomas  H.  Hubbard,  John  C.  Spencer,  James 
Rees,  Robert  C.  Nicholas,  David  Hudson,  William  L.  DeZeng,  Thomas  D. 
Burrall,  Joseph  G.  Swift,  Robert  L.  Rose,  W.  V.  I.  Mercer,  Lazarus  Hammond, 
William  H.  Adams,  Oren  Gaylord,  and  Abraham  Dox. 

The  first  act  of  the  Convention  was  to  place  the  new  Diocese  under 
the  charge  of  the  Bishop  of  New  York  until  a  Bishop  should  be 
elected  and  consecrated,  and  he  thereupon  took  the  chair.  In  his 
sermon  of  the  morning  the  Bishop  had  spoken  strongly  and  warmly 
of  his  affection  for  this  portion  of  his  former  flock,  and  his  hopes  for 
the  future  of  the  new  Diocese,  and  the  Convention  responded  by 
resolutions  expressing  similar  affection  for  him  and  gratitude  for  his 
past  services.  A  new  Parish  (S.  Luke's,  Brockport)  was  admitted, 
and  at  the  evening  session  a  resolution  was  offered  that  the  Convention 
do  now  proceed  to  the  election  of  a  Bishop.  "  After  some  discussion, 
not  protracted  ' '  (the  Messeftger  says) ,  and  the  offering  of  various 
amendments,  (not  recorded  in  the  Journal)  the  resolution  was  laid  on 
the  table  by  a  clerical  vote  of  24  to  20,  and  a  lay  vote  of  21  to  19. 


*^ 


JAMKS  AAKt»N   I'.oM.KS 


Primary  Convention,  1838  121 

A  recess  was  taken  for  half  an  hour  (for  informal  consultation)  and  at 
its  close  another  for  half  an  hour  more.  Finally  the  Convention  ad- 
journed to  the  next  morning.* 

This  is  all  that  we  learn  from  our  primary  authorities,  the  Journal 
and  the  Messenger.  But  the  narrative  of  Dr.  Holies,  who  was  a 
member,  and  a  very  active  one,  of  this  Convention,  tells  a  great  deal 
more.  In  1834-5,  as  we  have  .seen,  the  names  of  two  very  eminent 
clergymen,  Drs.  Whitehouse  and  Hawks,  had  been  the  only  oa^s 
thought  of.  At  this  time  they  appear  to  be  quite  out  of  sight,  though 
the  latter  appears  in  the  Messenger  as  a  possible  candidate.  VN'e  have 
seen  that  Dr.  De  Lancey  had  received  some  votes  in  the  Convention 
of  1830  as  the  successor  to  Bishop  Hobart  ;  but  the  suggestion  of  his 
election  noiu  was  undoubtedly  due  to  the  Rev.  Augustine  P.  Prevost, 
Rector  of  S.  John's  Church,  Canandaigua,  a  young  clergyman  of 
rare  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  as  well  as  excellence  in  pastoral  work 
and  teaching,  who  had  been  a  pupil  of  Dr.  De  Lancey  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  his  preparation  for  Holy  Orders. f  The 
advice  of  Dr.  Seabury  (the  eminent  Editor  of  the  Churcliman  of  that 
day)  was  asked  by  two  members  of  the  Special  Convention  at  Utica, 
and  given  decidedly  in  favour  of  Dr.  De  Lancey.  The  Hon.  John  C. 
Spencer,  then  in  New  York,  being  informed  of  Dr.  Seabury "s  opinion, 
went  at  once  to  Philadelphia  to  see  and  "  hear  "  Dr.  De  Lancey,  and 
returned  convinced  that  he  must  and  could  be  elected.  But  the  favour- 
ite with  very  many  at  this  time  was  the  Rev.  Manton  Eastburn,  D.D. 
(afterwards  Bishop  of  Massachusetts),  then  Rector  of  the  Church  of 
the  Ascension,  New  York,  and  considered  one  of  the  greatest  preach- 
ers and  pastors  in  the  country.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  in  a  gen- 
eral way  he  represented  the  "  Low  Church  "  element  in  the  new 
Diocese,  (an  element  very  strong, especially  in  Geneva  and  Rochester), 
and  Dr.  De  Lancey  the  "  High  Church."  But  other  considerations 
of  course  entered  into  the  question.  Dr.  De  Lancey  was  opposed  not 
only  as  an  "  extreme  High  Churchman  "  (what  different  ideas  would 
///d'/ phrase  convey  now!)    but   as    "cold"  and   "aristocratic,"   of 

*Journ.p.  17.      Gospel  Messenger,  Nov.  lo,    1838. 

t  Mr.  Prevost  was  my  own  Rector,  and  I  well  remember  hearing  him  say  on  his 
return  from  this  Convention,  with  unmistakable  gladness  of  heart,  (to  a  deeply 
interested  parishioner  who,  from  her  zeal  and  active  part  in  all  Church  matters, 
was  sometimes  called  "the  Bishopess  of  the  Western  Diocese  ")  •'  Ah,  /got  Dr. 
De  Lancey  for  you  I" 


122  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

"  Tory  "  ancestry,  and  anti-republican,  etc.*  What  was  said  per 
contra  about  Dr.  Eastburn  has  not  come  to  light.  His  friends  were 
quite  confident  of  his  election,  but  they  did  not  rest  on  their  oars.  As 
soon  as  the  Convention  ended  its  evening  session,  a  meeting  was  held 
which  finally  grew  so  excited  that  its  chairman,  Dr.  Hale,  (the  most 
thorough  gentleman  that  ever  lived),  "  left  the  chair  in  disgust."  Dr. 
De  Lancey's  friends  seem  to  have  been  wiser,  for  they  waited  quietly, 
— no  doubt  in  earnest  prayer,  like  the  Normans  on  the  night  before 
Hastings. 

But  the  Council  met  in  the  morning  with  all  seriousness  and  dignity  ; 
and  after  Matins,  and  an  earnest  address  by  the  Bishop,  resolved 
to  proceed  at  once  to  the  election.  "  Some  moments  were  spent  in 
secret  devotions,  and  the  Convention  united  with  the  Bishop  in 
appropriate  Prayers  from  the  Liturgy,  "f  Nothing  is  said  of  any  nomi- 
nations. $  The  Clergy  voted  first  ;  ^-^<f«  the  Laity  by  Parishes.  I  have 
never  seen  any  record  of  the  actual  votes  cast  for  the  candidates.  The 
only  fact  on  the  Journal  is  the  concurrence  of  both  Orders  on  the 
first  ballot,"  in  the  election  of  the  Rev.  William  Heathcote  De  Lan- 
CEY,  D.D.,  of  the  Diocese  of  Pennsylvania."  The  Rev.  Benjamin 
Hale,  D.D.,  seconded  by  the  Rev.  John  M'Carty,  offered  a  resolu- 
tion, unanimously  adopted,  making  the  election  of  Dr.  De  Lancey 
unanimous. 

A  member  of  the  Convention  writes  to  the  Churchman  that  Dr. 
De  Lancey  was  elected  by  "  a  large  majority."  If  so,  it  was  more 
than  his  friends  expected,  knowing  the  strong  feeling  in  favour  of  Dr. 
Eastburn. §     The  election  was  of  course  a  great  disappointment  to  the 


*  See  note  on  the  De  Lancey  Family,  p.  127  infra. 

t  The  tellers  for  the  Clergy  were  Dr.  Shelton,  Mr.  Prevost,  and  Mr.  William 
C.  Pierrepont  ;  for  the  Laity,  the  Rev.  Kendrick  Metcalf,  Messrs.  Charles  H. 
Carroll  and  William  B.  Rogers.  "  The  gravity,  silence  and  good  order  which  pre- 
vailed, must  have  shown  to  all  present  that  whatever  there  might  be  of  difference 
of  opinion,  all  were  moved  by  the  sincerest  desire  to  discharge  their  duty  under 
a  holy  trust  that  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  would  guide  them  to  the  best  re- 
sult."     {Gospel  Messenger,  Nov.  10,  1838.) 

X  Bishop  De  Lancey  said  to  me  at  the  election  of  Bishop  Coxe  in  1865,  that 
"no  nominations  had  ever  been  made  in  this  Diocese." 

§  Dr.  BoUes  says  (and  I  have  lately  heard  the  same  thing  from  the  Rev.  Gard- 
ner M.  Skinner,  then  a  Hobart  student,  who  was  present),  that  as  soon  as  the 
result  of  the  election  was  announced,  "one  good  woman  (in  the  gallery,  my  other 
informant  says)  cried  out,  '  O,  poor  Dr.  Eastburn  /  '  " 


Election  of  Bishop  De  Lancey  123 

friends  of  the  latter,  but  it  was  met  for  the  most  part  in  a  thoroughly 
good  spirit,  the  only  exception,  so  far  as  I  know,  being  in  the  utter- 
ances of  a  bitterly  partizan  sheet  in  Philadelphia  which  even  the 
gentle  Bishop  White  would  not  allow  to  come  into  his  house.*  None, 
indeed,  were  more  thankful  in  later  years  for  the  choice  of  Bishop 
De  Lancey  than  many  of  those  who  had  worked  most  zealously  for  his 
opponent ;  none  of  them  all  more  thankful  than  the  good  President 
Hale,  who  was  till  death  the  Bishop's  devoted  and  loving  friend. t 

The  Bishop-elect  had  become  known  to  the  Church  as  a  man  of 
mark  in  the  very  first  years  of  his  Priesthood.  A  graduate  of  Yale 
1817,  Deacon  (Dec.  28,  1819)  and  Priest  (March  6.  1822)  under 
Bishop  Hobart,  and  giving  his  first  pastoral  services  at  his  own  home 
at  Mamaroneck,  N.  Y.,  he  became  in  1822,  at  twenty-five,  by 
Bishop  Hobart's  suggestion,  Bishop  White's  personal  assistant  at  S. 
Peter's,  Philadelphia  (his  only  charge  as  Priest,  t  of  which  it  used  to 
be  said  that  no  Rector  left  it  except  for  a  bishopric),  and  was  soon 
after  chosen  as  Secretary  of  the  Diocese  and  of  the  House  of  Bishops. 
The  next  year  I  find  published  in  the  Christian  Journal  an  earnest 
address  by  him  at  a  public  meeting  of  the  "  Society  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Christianity. "§  In  1828,  at  the  age  of  thirty,  he  became 
Provost  (and  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy)  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  Doctor  of  Divinity  of  Yale,  which  was  an  honour 
in  those  days  for  a  young  man.  He  resigned  the  Presidency  of  the 
University  in  1833,  after  five  years'  service  which  maybe  said  to  have 
saved  that  Institution,  ||  and  resumed  his  charge  of   S.  Peter's,  which 

*  The  Episcopal  Recorder, v;\s\c\\  in  later  years  became  the  organ  of  the  "Reformed 
Episcopalians." 

t  Dr.  Shelton,  who  strongly  advocated  the  election  of  Dr.  De  lancey,  often 
told  afterwards  of  his  meeting  him,  then  a  Yale  College  student,  in  passing  near 
the  old  Westchester  home  of  the  De  Lancey  family  with  his  own  father  (the  Rev. 
Philo  Shelton  of  Connecticut),  who  said  of  "young  De  Lancey,"  "  He  is  des- 
tined to  be  a  remarkable  man,  and  to  have  a  distinguished  history."  And  this 
first  impression  was  confirmed  long  after  by  Bishop  Hobart's  high  regard  for  Dr. 
De  Lancey.    Dr.  Rudd  was  another  earnest  and  able  advocate  for  Dr.  De  Lancey. 

\  It  included,  however,  Christ  Church  and  S.  James,  Bishop  White  being  Rec- 
tor of  the  three  "  united  Parishes." 

§  Christian  Journal,  July,  1823  (p.  21S). 

II  "He  saved  its  life,"  writes  one  who  knew  him  intimately  in  Philadelphia, 
"reviving  it  from  iS  students  when  he  was  elected  to  131  when  he  resigned. 
As  he  often  said,  he  never  sought  to  do  anything  but  save  the  Institution,  and 


124  Diocese    of  Western  New  York 

he  retained  till  he  was  called  to  Western  New  York  ;  and  he  was  fol- 
lowed through  life  by  the  affectionate  regard  of  the  people  of  that  vener- 
able parish,  mostly  of  the  highest  standing  in  Philadelphia.  The  story 
of  his  Episcopate,  briefly  as  it  must  be  told  here,  will  show  something 
at  least  of  those  traits  of  character  which  called  forth  such  undying 
affection  and  reverence  in  all  who  had  the  happiness  to  know  him 
well.* 

The  Primary  Convention  ended  its  session  with  various  resolutions 
providing  for  notification  to  the  Bishop-elect, — for  measures  for  his 
consecration  in  S.  Peter's  Church,  Auburn,  if  practicable, — for  the 
transfer  of  $35,000  for  his  support,  from  the  Diocese  of  New  York, 
as  already  arranged,  and  for  Trustees  of  this  Fund,— for  necessary 
changes  in  the  Constitution  and  Canons, — for  the  time  of  the  annual 
Convention, — for  instructions  for  the  Incorporation  of  Parishes  ;  and 
with  thanks  to  the  Acting  Bishop  and  the  people  of  Geneva.! 

Dr.  De  Lancey  was  notified  of  his  election  on  the  next  day  after 
the  Convention,  and  his  acceptance  of  it  is  dated  Nov.  15. 

"The  decided  majority  which  elected  me,"  he  says,  "and  the 
gratifying  unanimity  with  which  all  so  readily  concurred  in  the  de- 
cision, fortify  me  in  the  belief  that,  although  a  stranger  to  many,  I 
shall  not  only  be  received  by  the  Diocese  with  cordiality,  but  exper- 
ience in  the  discharge  of  my  duties  the  forbearing  kindness  and 
cheerful  co-operation  which  the  consciousness  of  many  deficiencies, 
and  a  proper  view  of  the  responsibilities  of  the  office,  make  me 
sensible  that  I  shall  greatly  need." 

The  Special  Convention  for  the  Consecration  of  the  Bishop-elect 
met  in  S.  Peter's  Church,  Auburn  (where  Bishop  Hobart  had  laid 
down  his  office),  on  the  Eve  of  the   Feast  of  the  Ascension,  May  8, 


only  yielded  to  the  wishes  of  the  first  men  of  Philadelphia  of  that  day  in  accept- 
ing its  Presidency;  and  the  University  has  never  since  fallen  from  the  career  on 
which  he  launched  it." 

*  "In  truth,  it  was  a  tremendous  sacrifice  for  De  Lancey  to  leave  his  dear  S. 
Peter's  and  his  vast  circle  of  loving  friends  in  Philadelphia,  to  accept  the  new- 
formed  Episcopate  of  Western  New  York.  Nothing  but  his  Christian  heroism, 
which  forbade  him  to  show  cowardice  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  led  him  to  do  it, 
and  with  his  splendid  character,  that  was  enough."  These  words  from  the  Rev. 
John  Brainard,  D.D.,  come  just  as  I  have  written  the  above  lines. 

t  Joum.  Primary  Convention,  24-6. 


Consecration  of  Bishop  De  Lancey 


125 


1839.*  Forty-three  clergymen  of  the  Diocese  were  present,  of  whom 
thirty-four  had  been  members  of  the  Primary  Convention  :  thirteen 
came  from  other  Dioceses,  (six  from  New  York,  inckiclinj^  Drs. 
Berrian  and  Taylor,  and  two  from  Pennsylvania).  Forty-four  Par- 
ishes were  represented  by  103  Lay- Delegates.  The  first  day  of  the 
Convention  was  occupied  with  Morning  Service  and  a  Sermon  by 
Bishop  H.  U.  Onderdonk.  and  later  with  organization  and  sundry 
arrangements  for  the  offices  of  the  following  day  :  then  followed  an 
Address  by  the  Acting  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  on  the  conclusion  of  his 
labours  in  it.  the  founding  of  a  new  parish  (Grace  Church)  in  Utica, 
the  retirement  of  one  of  the  oldest  missionaries,  the  Rev.  George  H, 
Norton  of  Allen's  Hill,  the  recent  decease  of  another  faithful  mission- 
ary, the  Rev.  Seth  S.  Rogers,  and  the  incorporation  of  the  first 
Church  School,  "  Hobart  Hall,"  at  Holland  Patent,  near  Utica. 

"  And  now,  dear  brethren,"  the  Bishop  concludes,"  I  have  brought 
to  a  close  the  last  Episcopal  Address  to  be  made  to  you. 
The  memory  of  former  years  comes  over  me.  when  I  was  wont  to 
take  sweet  counsel  with  you  as  part  of  a  larger  charge.  They  have 
passed,  and  have  borne  along  with  them  dispensations  and  orderings 
of  God's  Providence  which  have  led.  rightly  and  for  the  best,  to  the 
severance  which  the  services  of  tomorrow  will  complete.  It  will  not, 
however,  affect  that  union  of  my  heart  with  you — and  as  of  you  I 
here  recognize  the  beloved  brother  who  is  to  be  over  you  in  the  Lord 
— which,  let  me  hope,  not  even  death  can  sever." 

The  morning  of  the  Feast  of  the  Ascension,  we  are  told,  "opened 
brightly,  and  the  throngs  in  the  streets  and  places  of  public  resort 
showed  that  an  interesting  and  solemn  scene  was  anticipated." 

Of  the  ceremonial  we  have  but  the  barest  details,  and  can  only 
imagine  the  accessories  from  our  general  knowledge  of  what  church 
arrangements  and  services  were  in  those  days.  ' '  Morning  Prayers  were 
read  by  the  Rev.  Lucius  Smith,  and  the  Lessons  by  the  Rev.  George 
Upfold,  D.D.,  of  Pennsylvania,  formerly  of  New  \'ork,  a  warm  per- 
sonal friend  of  the  Bishop-elect."  The  Sermon  was  by  the  Bishop 
of  New  York,  on  "The  Episcopal  Office."  from  H  Cor.  XL  28. 
"Beside  those  things  that  are  without,  that  which  cometh  upon  me 
daily,  the  care  of  all  the  churches."       It  was  substantially  a  plea  for 

*  From  November  to  May  seems  a  long  time.  I'ut  such  were  the  delays  of 
travelling  and  of  mails  in  those  days,  that  the  consents  of  Dioceses  and  Bishops, 
few,  comparatively,  as  they  were,  were  not  all  received  till  Februar)'. 


126  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

' '  the  great  Catholic  principle  of  reverencing  and  studying  tradition  as 
leading  to  a  correct  understanding  of  the  Rule  of  Faith,"  and  its 
necessary  consequence  in  the  maintenance  of  the  Historic  Episco- 
pate in  the  Church.  To  the  Bishop-elect  was  the  congratulation  that 
he  was  to  be  accompanied  and  aided  by  a  zealous,  affectionate,  and 
devoted  clergy,  and  that  the  Apostolic  mantle  fell  on  him  where  it 
was  laid  down  by  the  beloved  Hobart.* 

The  Presiding  Bishop,  Dr.  Alexander  V.  Griswold  of  "  the  Eastern 
Diocese,"  was  the  Consecrator,  assisted  by  the  Bishops  of  Pennsyl- 
vania (Henry  U.  Onderdonk),  New  York  (Benjamin  T.  Onderdonk) 
and  New  Jersey  (George  W.  Doane).  The  Bishop-elect  was  pre- 
sented by  the  Bishops  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  and  attended  by 
the  Rev.  Pierre  P.  Irving,  of  Geneva,  and  the  Rev.  Augustine  P. 
Prevost,  of  Canandaigua.  Three  hundred  of  the  Clergy  and  Laity 
present  received  the  Holy  Communion,  in  which  all  the  five  Bishops 
assisted,  t 

On  re-assembling  at  four  o'clock,  the  Committee  to  whom  the  fare- 
well address  of  the  Acting  Bishop  was  referred  reported  a  grateful 
acknowledgment  of  his  services  ;  the  Rev.  Mr.  Proal  addressed  him 
in  behalf  of  the  Convention  ;  the  Bishop  made  "a  brief  and  affectionate 
reply,"  and  vacated  the  Chair,  to  which  Bishop  De  Lancey  was  con- 
ducted with  an  address  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rudd,  to  which  the  Bishop 
replied  at  some  length,  setting  forth  very  fully  and  clearly  the  Divine 
Constitution  of  the  Church  as  "the  Pillar  and  Ground  of  the  Truth," 
and  the  true  ideal  of  the  Episcopal  office. 

"The  erection  of  this  portion  of  the  State  into  a  separate  Diocese," 
he  concludes,  ' '  has  thrown  it  to  a  great  degree  on  its  own  resources  for 
Church  objects.  I  have  utterly  mistaken  the  character  and  means, 
the  energy  and  liberality  of  the  Diocese  over  which  I  am  to  preside, 
if  it  be  not  found  adequate,  with  God's  blessing,  to  the  exigencies  of 
this  new  position.  Doubtless  it  will  become  us  to  meet  them  with 
resolute  minds,  with  liberal  hearts,  and  with  open  hands.  The  Church 
in  this  State  has  hitherto  moved  forward  with  gigantic  strides,  thrill- 
ing the  hearts  of  Churchmen  with  joy,  and  extorting  admiration  from 
all  sections  of  our  Zion.  With  majestic  dignity,  and  a  calm  and  pru- 
dent piety  above  all  praise,  she  has   apportioned  this  her  favourite 


*  The  Sermon  and  those  preached  on  the  same  occasion  by  three  others  of  the 
Bishops,  are  given  in  full  in  the  Journal  of  the  Special  Convention. 
t  Gospel  ATessenger,  May  i8,  1839. 


Consecration  ok  Bishoi-  I)e  Lancky  127 

daughter,  aiul  assigned  her  to  a  separate  and  independent  household. 
What  is  it  now  that  demands  our  united  efforts,  prayers  and  Hberahty  ? 
That  the  Church  in  this  Diocese  may  grow  in  hohness.  zeal  and  num- 
bers, exempHfying  in  her  unity  and  peace  the  power  of  the  Ciospel, 
combining  the  hearty  and  strenuous  efforts  of  both  Clergy  and  Laity 
in  support  of  her  distinctive  principles  and  true  interests,  making  daily 
inroads  on  the  territories  of  sin  and  Satan,  carrying  forward  (Jod's 
design  of  saving  and  enlightening  a  benighted  and  perishing  world, 
and  commending  herself  to  them  that  are  without  for  the  soundness  of 
her  doctrine,  the  steadiness  of  her  worship,  the  faithfulness  of  her 
Ministr)^  and  the  exemplary  characters  and  lives  of  all  her  members. 
To  this  end  let  us  unite  our  prayers  and  efforts." 

Resolutions  follow-ed  of  thanks  to  the  Presiding  Bishop  for  appoint- 
ing the  Consecration  within  the  Diocese,  with  a  gift  of  $100  for  his 
expenses  ;  for  a  Committee  ' '  to  devise  ways  and  means  to  support 
travelling  missionaries  to  visit  individuals  and  families  remote  from 
places  of  public  worship;  "of  thanks  for  hospitalities, etc.  At  the  Evening 
Service  Bishop  De  Lancey  preached  his  first  Sermon  in  the  Diocese  on 
' '  Personal  Holiness  in  the  Ministr}^ ' '  Those  who  can  remember  Bishop 
De  Lancey's  preaching  will  recognize  in  this  discourse  the  model  of 
exactness  in  construction  and  elegance  in  language  from  which  he 
hardly  ever  varied.'' 

The  Bishops  in  attendance,  by  permission,  placed  on  the  Journal 
"their  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  kind  reception  and  cordial 
hospitalities  that  have  met  their  visit  to  the  village  of  Auburn." 

In  the  final  adjournment  of  the  Convention,  the  Bishop  expressed 
his  grateful  emotions  at  being  "  at  home  "  in  the  Diocese  by  the  cor- 
dial welcome  with  which  he  had  been  received,  and  his  intention  to 
commence  a  primary  visitation  as  soon  as  the  removal  of  his 
family  would  allow.  His  first  appointment,  however,  was  at  Geneva, 
where  on  the  following  Sunday  he  preached  twice  and  confirmed 
thirty-one  persons  ;  the  next  day  he  visited  Syracuse,  and  on  Wednes- 
day Utica,  going  thence  to  Philadelphia  to  arrange  for  removing  his 
family  to  Geneva,"  where  for  the  present  he  had  determined  to  reside. " 

But  finding  that  it  would  be  some  time  before  a  house  could  be 
ready  for  them,  he  returned  to  the  Diocese  and  began  his  primary 
visitation  at  once  in  Oneida  county.  This  first  visitation  continued 
from  June  20  to  Sept.  29,  1839,  including   65  parishes  (out  of  96   in 


*It  is  one  of  the  four  Sermons  appended  to  the  Journal. 


128  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

the  Diocese)  in  which  he  confirmed  482  persons.  It  was  not  inter- 
rupted by  the  removal  of  his  family  to  Geneva  on  the  first  of  Septem- 
ber.* 

Note  on  the  Family  of   Bishop  De  Lancey. 

Etienne  (or  Stephen)  De  Lancey,  son  of  the  Seigneur  Jacques  De  Land  and 
Marguerite  Bertrand  of  Caen,  Normandy,  and  sixth  in  descent  from  Guy, 
Vicomte  De  Lavail  and  Nouvian,  A.  D.  1432, — bom  Oct.  23,  1663,  fled  (as  a 
Huguenot)  in  July,  16S6,  to  New  York,  died  there  1741,  buried  in  Old  Trinity 
churchyard  (being  a  vestryman  of  Trinity  Parish)  ;  married,  Jan.  23,  1700, 
Anne,  dau.  of  Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt  (first  Mayor  of  New  York,)  and  Ger- 
trude Schuyler,  b.  1677,  d.  1742.      Their  eldest  son  was 

Lieut.  Gov.  James  De  Lancey,  b.  1703,  d.  1760,  m.  Anne,  dau.  of  Col. 
Caleb  Heathcote,  who  d.  1779. 

John  Peter  De  Lancey,  third  surviving  son  of  James,  b.  July  15,  1753,  d. 
Jan.  30,  1828,  of  Heathcote  Hill,  Mamaroneck,  N.  Y.,  m.  Sept.  28,  1785, 
Elizabeth,  eldest  dau.  of  Col.  Richard  Floyd,  b.  1759,  d.  1823.  Their  children 
were 

1.  Anite  C/iar/otte,  b.  Sept.  17,  1786,  d.  May  29,  1852,  m.  Dec.  10,  1827,  as 
2d  w.,  John  Loudon  M'Adam  (inventor  of  M'Adam  roads)  who  d.  Nov.  26, 
183^.     No  issue. 

2.  Thotnas  James,  b.  Aug.  12,  1789,  d.  Dec.  22,  1822. 

3.  Susan  Augusta,  b.  Jan.  28,  1792,  d.  Jan.  20,  1852,  m.  Jan.  i,  181 1,  James 
Fenimore  Cooper,  of  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  b.  Sept.  15,  1789,  d.  Sept.  14,  1851. 
Their  2d  son  was  Paul  Fenimore  Cooper,  b.  1824,  Hobart  Coll.  1844,  d.  April 
24,  1895  !  '^^^  the  2d  dau.,  Susan  Augusta,  was  the  author  of  "  Rural  Hours." 

4.  Maria  Frances,  b.  Aug.  3,  1793,  d.  Jan.  17,  1806. 

5.  Edivard  Floyd,  b.  June  18,  1795,  ^-  0<^t.  19,  1819. 

6.  William  Heathcote,  b.  Oct.  8,  1797,  d.  April  5,  1865,  Yale  18x7,  D.D. 
1828,  LL.D.  Union  1847,  D-C.L.  Oxon.  1852,  first  Bishop  of  Western  New  York 
1839-65,  m.  Nov.  22,  1820,  Frances,  3d  dau.  of  Peter  Jay  Munro  (s.  of  the  Rev. 
Harry  Munro,  D.D.,  last  Rector  of  S.  Peter's,  Albany,  under  the  Crown,  and 
Eve,  dau.  of  Peter  Jay  of  Rye  and  Mary  Van  Cortlandt,  and  sister  of  Chief  Jus- 
tice John  Jay),  and  Margaret, dau.  of  Henry  White  and  Eve  Van  Cortlandt  of  New 
York, — b.  Jan.  9,  1797,  d.  March  30,  1869.     They  had  5  s.,  3  daus. 

(i.)  Edward  Floyd,  b.  Oct.  23,1821,  Hobart  1843,  ""^s-  I903»  Ossining,  N.  Y.  ; 
m.  Nov.  16,  1848,  Josephine  Matilda,  dau.  of  William  Steuben  De  Zeng  of  Ge- 
neva, who  d.  June  5,  1865. 


*  In  the  Journal  of  the  Semi-Centennial  of  1888  will  be  found  (p.  13)  an  interest- 
ing note  from  Dr.  Anthony  E.  Stocker,  who  accompanied  the  Bishop  and  was 
with  him  constantly  for  some  time  on  his  first  coming  into  Western  New  York. 
"No  one  could  be  so  intimate  with  him,"  he  says,  "without  an  ever-increasing 
love  and  respect  for  him  ;  and  with  joyful  truthfulness  I  can  say,  he  was  in  all  his 
going  out  and  coming  in,  a  man  of  God." 


WILLIAM   HKATHCOTE  1)E  I.ANCEY 
First  Bishop  of  Wesltrn  New  York 


The  De  Lancey  Family  129 

(2.)  Margaret  Munro,  b.  Feb.  i,  1S23,  d.  Jan.  6.  1890,  m.  May  6,  1852, 
Thomas  Fortescue  Rochester,  M.D.,  I.L.U.,  of  Huffalo,  Ilobart  1845,  who  d. 
May  24,    1SS7. 

(3.)     Elizabeth  Floyd,  b.  1825,  d.  y. 

(4.)  John  Peter,  b.  May  30,  1828,  d.  June  22,  1870,  m.  June  11,  1863,  Wil- 
helmina  V.  Clark. 

(5.)     Peter  Munro,  b.  183c,  d.  Oct.  18,  1849. 

(6.)     William  Heathcote,  b.  1832,  d.  y. 

(7.)     Frances,  b.  1834,  d.  y. 

(8.)  William  Heathcote  (2),  b.  May  2,  1837,  Ilobart  1856,  res.  New  York; 
m.  Sept.  6,  i860,  Elizabeth  Des  Brosses  Hunter. 

7.  Elizabeth  Caroline,  b.  March  4,  1801,  d.  Feb.  25,  1S60,  unm. 

8.  Martha  Arabella,  b.  Jan.  10,  1803,  d.  May  21,  1882,  unm. 


CHAPTER   XXII 


WESTERN  NEW  YORK  IN   1839 

ISHOP  De  Lancey  found  his  new  Diocese  a  fairly  com- 
pact wedge-shaped  territory,  230  miles  from  east  to 
west,  170  north  and  south  at  the  east  end,  and  about 
85  at  the  west,  containing  21,463  square  miles.  The 
four  corner  parishes  were  Sackett's  Harbor  on  the  north- 
east, Binghamton  on  the  southeast,  Westfield  on  Lake  Erie,  and 
Lewiston  on  the  Niagara  River.  On  this  area  was  a  population  (in 
27,  now  29  counties)  of  about  eleven  hundred  thousand,  not  far  from 
one-half  the  whole  people  of  the  State  at  that  time.  Buffalo  and 
Rochester,  the  only  two  cities,  were  about  the  same  size,  each  having 
about  18,000  inhabitants.  There  was  not  a  hundred  miles  of  rail- 
road in  the  whole  Diocese  ;  the  Erie  Canal  was  for  many  purposes  by 
far  the  best  thoroughfare.  The  Diocese  had  67  Priests  and  8  Dea- 
cons, all  but  8  in  parochial  or  missionary  work  ;  5  candidates  for 
Orders  ;  96  parishes  and  missions,  with  70  church  buildings,  and  a 
little  more  than  4,000  communicants,  averaging  some  40  to  a  parish. 
Two-thirds  of  the  parishes  were  missionary  stations,  aided  tempor- 
arily by  a  grant  from  the  Diocese  of  New  York  ;  the  whole  amount 
contributed  from  the  Diocese  itself  for  its  own  missionary  work  in  its 
first  year  was  $761.00.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  Western  New 
York  never  received  anything  for  this  work  from  outside  the  State  of 
New  York.  Only  one  parish  could  be  called  a  large  one,  S.  Luke's, 
Rochester,  reporting  400  communicants  ;  Geneva  and  Utica  came 
next  with  154  and  151,  S.  Paul's,  Rochester, with  118,  and  S.  Paul's, 
Bufifalo,  and  Oswego,  with  about  100.* 

The  Bishop's  first  work  at  the  conclusion  of  his  visitation  of  1839 
was  to  establish  some  effective  method  of  maintaining  and  expanding 
the  missionary  and  educational  work  of  the  Diocese,  towards  which 
only  40  of  the  96  parishes  had  given  anything  that  first  year.  The 
system  proposed  by  him  and  adopted  then  is  the  same  which  has 
been  in  operation  to  this   day  ;  the    Bishop    and  Standing  Committee 

*  These  reports  of  communicants  are  for  1839,  nearly  a  year  after  the  erection 
of  the  new  Diocese. 


The  Bishop's  Residence  131 

constituting  a  "  Board  of  Church  Objects;"  the  parishes  making 
monthly  offerings  for  "Missions,  Education,  the  Expenses  of  the 
Convention,  the  Distribution  of  Bibles,  Prayer- Books  and  Tracts,  and 
the  increase  of  the  Episcopal  Fund."  The  immediate  effect  of  this 
plan  was  the  increase  of  missionary  offerings  to  $1 ,461  the  second  year, 
and  $3,170  the  third  year.  These  offerings  took  the  place,  for  the 
time  being,  of  what  had  been  received  from  the  Diocese  of  New 
York,  and  so  did  not  provide  for  any  great  or  immediate  expansion  of 
missionary  work  ;  but  they  did  at  once  place  the  diocese  on  a  basis  of 
self-support,  which  was  obviously  the  first  thing  to  be  done.  I  have 
said  elsewhere  that  "how  deeply  the  Bishop  felt  the  importance  of 
this  work,  how  carefully  all  its  details  were  studied  by  him,  how  the 
condition,  wants,  prospects  and  trials  of  each  mission  and  missionary 
were  always  borne  upon  his  mind  and  heart,  none  who  knew  him 
personally  can  forget.  How  he  would  labour  to  build  up  the  Church 
in  this  or  that  feeble  or  almost  desert  place,  not  only  by  visits  and 
correspondence,  but  by  large  contributions  from  his  own  small  means. 
It  was  sometimes  thought  and  said  that  he  exalted  this  diocesan  work 
at  the  expense  of  larger  interests  of  the  Church  ;  but  the  records  of  his 
Episcopate  show  that  during  its  twenty-seven  years,  the  offerings  of 
the  Diocese  for  objects  exterior  to  itself  were  more  than  for  its 
own  missions,  and  that  they  increased  fourfold,  while  those  for 
diocesan  objects  trebled."* 

The  Bishop's  conclusion  as  to  a  place  of  permanent  residence  is 
thus  stated  by  him  at  the  close  of  his  second  annual  Address  (1840): 

"  Having  had  an  opportunity  of  visiting  all  portions  of  the  Diocese, 
and  of  thus  forming  a  judgment  of  the  best  location  for  convenience 
in  the  discharge  of  my  duties,  and  for  intercourse  with  the  various 
parts  of  the  Diocese,  and  having  ascertained  the  general  sentiment  in 
regard  to  the  point,  I  find  that  my  own  judgment  concurs  with  the 
predominant  opinion  in  the  Diocese  in  favor  of  fixing  my  permanent 
residence  at  Geneva,  Ontario  County,  as  a  position  combining,  in  its 
centrality,  accessibility,  and  power  of  reaching  and  influencing  the 
Church  mind  through  the  College  there  situated,  more  advantages 
than  any  other  of  the  many  beautiful  and  attractive  cities  and  villages 
with  which  the  Diocese  abounds.  The  cordiality  with  which  my 
residence  would  have  been  welcomed  in  every  place,  and  the  unob- 
trusive deference  which  has  left  me  to  an  unfettered  exercise  of  my 
own  judgment  and  sense  of   duty   in   the  selection,  have  been  pecul- 

*  Semi-Centennial  of  W.  N.  V.  p.  26. 


132  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

iarly  grateful  to  my  feelings.  I  shall  continue  to  reside  there,  unless 
prevented  from  so  doing  by  the  difficulty  of  renting  a  suitable  house 
for  the  accommodation  of  my  family."* 

The  "hired  house  "  in  which  the  Bishop  and  his  family  lived 
during  their  first  fourteen  years  in  Geneva,  was  a  pleasant  cottage- 
like brick  building  on  the  lake  side,  with  sufficient  though  not 
"  ample  "  ground  for  a  little  lawn  in  front,  and  descending  the  high 
bank  of  the  lake  in  the  rear.  The  house,  somewhat  changed,  is  now 
the  home  of  Mr.  S.  H.  Ver  Planck,  803  Main  street.  It  was  certainly  a 
very  modest  residence  for  a  Bishop  even  in  those  days  and  in  Geneva  ; 
but  it  was,  I  presume,  fairly  comfortable,  and  was  very  pleasant  to 
those  who  saw  it  only  as  the  Bishop's  guests.  To  such,  the  abiding 
memory  of  that  house  and  its  successor  will  ever  be  the  simple  yet 
refined  and  charming  hospitality,  without  a  particle  of  effort  or  pre- 
tension, which  it  gave  to  all  who  had  the  shadow  of  a  claim  to  it, 
and  most  likely  to  a  good  many  who  had  not  even  that.  To  the 
Bishop's  own  charm  of  manner  and  conversation  were  added  the 
cordial  and  thoughtful  housemotherliness  of  Mrs.  De  Lancey,  which 
never  failed  to  make  his  guests  thoroughly  at  home  with  a  sense  of 
personal  welcome. 

There  was  some  feeling  in  the  Diocese  that  the  Bishop  ought  to 
have  some  better  home  than  a  hired  house,  and  at  the  Convention  of 
1 841  a  committee  was  appointed  to  consider  the  subject. f  They 
reported  resolutions  to  the  effect  that  ' '  the  Convention  are  sensible 
of  the  importance  of  providing  a  more  convenient  and  permanent 
residence  "  for  the  Bishop,  and  consulting  his  wishes  as  to  its  loca- 
tion ;  and  appointing  another  committee  to  endeavour  to  raise  funds  for 
procuring  such  a  residence,  and  paying  meantime  the  rent  of  the 
Bishop's  house.  $  That  Committee  reported  next  year  (1842)  that  they 
had  raised  only  $234  out  of  $400  necessary  for  the  rent,  and  recom- 
mended raising  a  fund  of  $10,000  by  subscriptions  of  $100  or  more, 
in  five  annual  instalments,  out  of  which  the  rent  should  be  paid  till  the 
Diocese  was  ready  to  build  a  house.  Without  adopting  this  plan,  the 
Convention  continued  the  Committee  to  raise  the  $400  and  deficiency 


*  Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1S40,  p.  37. 

f  Dr.  Shelton,    Dr.    Gregory,    W.    S.    De    Zeng,  W.    C.    Pierrepont,    H.  E. 
Rochester. 

%  Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1S41,  p.  50. 


The  Bishop's  House  133 

for  the  next  year,  and  ascertain  whether  a  suitable  house  could  be 
obtained  in  Geneva  for  a  term  of  years, — it  appearing  that  he  was 
at  present  only  a  tenant  from  year  to  year.*  But  in  the  following 
year  the  subject  was  effectually  disposed  of  in  the  Bishop's  Address. 

"  It  will  be  recollected,"  he  says,  "  that  at  the  meeting  in  1841, 
in  Utica,  the  subject  of  providing  a  residence  for  the  Diocesan, 
unsolicited  on  his  part,  was  brought  before  the  Convention.  The 
movement  was  against  my  own  privately  expressed  judgment  as  to 
the  feasibility  of  the  plan  by  any  action  of  the  Convention,  in  conse- 
quence of  my  conviction  that  local  prejudices  and  discordant  views  of 
the  bearing  of  the  measure  would  be  an  obstacle  to  its  success.  From 
similar  views  I  had  objected  to  such  a  movement  in  the  Convention 
at  Buffalo. 

"  The  result  arrived  at  in  1841,  was  to  substitute  for  present  action, 
the  assumption  of  the  rent  of  a  house  for  the  Diocesan,  and  the 
appointment  of  a  Committee  to  report  to  the  ne.\t  Convention.  In 
1842  the  action  was  to  postpone  the  consideration  of  the  subject  to 
the  present  Convention,  and  to  direct  the  Committee  to  provide  for 
the  arrears  and  current  payments  of  the  rent  of  the  house  for  the 
Diocesan.  The  mode  adopted  (apparently  the  only  one  open  to  the 
Committee)  for  raising  the  proposed  sum,  was  calculated  to  bring  the 
object  into  injurious  collision,  as  I  thought,  with  our  monthly  collec- 
tions for  Missions  and  other  Church  objects,  and  very  soon  after  the 
rising  of  the  Convention  I  requested  the  Committee  to  take  no  further 
proceedings  in  the  matter.  They  had  however  addressed  a  circular 
to  the  parishes  ;  but  at  my  request  the  subject  has  been  no  farther 
pressed.  The  amount  raised  during  the  year  (S194.87)  I  have 
requested  the  Treasurer  to  transfer  to  the  Missionary  Fund  of  the 
Diocese,  as  there  was  a  deficiency  in  that  fund  to  meet  the  demands 
of  the  Missionaries  for  the  July  payments.  The  balance  to  be  raised, 
about  $350,  I  remit  to  the  Convention.  And  believing  that  when  any 
steps  are  taken  in  regard  to  this  object,  they  had  better  be  taken  by 
private  individuals  independently  on  the  Convention,  before  whom, 
from  diversity  of  views  and  local  feelings,  the  subject  will  be  likely 
always  to  prove  a  disturbing  one,  I  request  that  the  whole  matter, 
as  far  as  Conventional  action  is  concerned,  may  be  dropped.  That 
private  munificence  may,  and  in  due  time  will,  adopt  some  effectual 
measures  in  this  matter,  I  am  fully  persuaded. 

"  If  a  subscription  by  one  hundred  individuals  of  $100  each,  payable 
in  four  years,  in  annual  instalments  of  $25.  or  some  similar  plan, 
would  secure  the  amount  to   be  raised,  I  think  in  due  time  it  will  be 


*  Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1842,  p.  62.  The  house  then  occupied  by  the  Bishop  be- 
longed to  Capt.  Samuel  W.  Swift,  a  cousin  of  the  late  Gen.  Joseph  G.  Swift  of 
Geneva,  who  only  resided  in  it  for  two  years,  from  1S36  to  1838. 


134  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

done.  An  experience  of  four  years  has  satisfied  me  that  while  the 
three  items  of  house-rent,  travelling  expenses,  and  postages,  exhaust 
so  large  a  portion  as  one  thousand  dollars  of  the  proceeds  of  the  Epis- 
copal Fund,  and  the  Diocesan  is  subjected  to  other  unavoidable  claims 
and  expenditures  arising  from  his  official  position,  the  existing  pro- 
vision for  his  support  will  be  inadequate  without  resort  to  private 
means."* 

"  Whereupon,  on  motion,  the  Committee  were  discharged  from  the 
future  consideration  of  the  subject."  The  total  income  of  the  Epis- 
copate Fund  (and  di/Zthat  the  Bishop  received  from  the  Diocese  at  this 
time,  and  for  many  years  afterwards)  was  $2,485  ;  so  that  aside  from 
house-rent  and  other  official  expenses  mentioned  in  his  Address,  his 
actual  Episcopal  income  was  less  than  $1,500.  After  the  Conven- 
tion of  1843,  "  an  effort  was  made  by  a  number  of  gentlemen  residing 
within  the  Diocese  to  increase  the  Fund  by  voluntary  subscriptions 
to  the  extent  of  $10,000,"  and  about  $4,000  was  subscribed  payable 
in  four  annual  instalments.  Subsequently,  by  a  Committee  appointed 
by  the  Convention,  but  chiefly  by  the  personal  efforts  of  the  Rev. 
James  A.  Bolles,  D.D.,  and  the  Rev.  William  B.  Ashley,  D.D.,  suc- 
cessively Chairmen  of  this  Committee,  the  Fund  was  gradually  in- 
creased till  it  amounted  in  185S  and  later  to  a  little  more  than  $50,000. 
But  nothing  more  was  done  about  providing  a  residence  for  the 
Bishop.  In  1853  he  removed  to  a  house  which  he  had  bought,  a  little 
north  of  the  College,  now  No.  616  Main  St.,  in  which  he  resided 
for  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  which  is  still  substantially  the  same,  a 
plain  two  story  brick  house  with  a  central  hall,  whose  front  rooms  were 
the  "  parlour  "  on  the  north,  and  the  Bishop's  study  on  the  south  ; 
a  very  small  grass-plot  in  front,  and  a  garden  in  the  rear  ;  often,  after 
his  taking  possession  of  it,  called  with  a  pleasant  sense  of  incongruity, 
"  the  Palace."!       It  was  plain  and  modest  inside,  with  its  old-fash- 


*  Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1843,  p.  33.  The  Bishop  had  alluded  in  his  Address  of 
1839  to  the  importance  of  increasing  the  Episcopate  Fund  to  provide  "for  an  ex- 
panding Church,  in  a  land  rapidly  increasing  in  population,  and  where  augmented 
expenses  of  living  must  of  necessity  proceed  pari  passu  with  the  growth  of  the 
country,  and  where  a  few  years  to  come  will  find  ufe  as  much  in  advance  of  the 
present  period  as  the  present  period  is  of  a  few  years  now  past."  (Joum.  1839,  p.  28.) 

t  In  1839  the  Bishop  replied  as  follows  to  a  communication  from  the  Vestry  to 
S.  Peter's  Church,  Auburn,  asking  him  to  accept  the  Rectorship  of  that  Parish  : 

"  I  could  fully  appreciate  the  force  of  the  several  reasons  urged  by  the  Com- 
mittee in  favour  of  my  acceptance  of  the  important  post  offered  to  me,  and  feel 


Parochial  Reports 


I3S 


ioned  substantial  furniture  brought  from  Philadelphia,  but  thoroughly 
comfortable  and  home-like. 

The  first  form  of  Parochial  Report,  applying  alike  to  Parishes  and 
"Missionary  Stations  "  (most  of  which  were  also  organized  parishes) 
was  adopted  at  the  Convention  of  1839.  A  form  had  been  adopted 
by  the  Convention  of  New  York  as  early  as  1834,  but  did  not  include 
the  reports  of  diocesan  Missionaries.  Up  to  that  year  the  Parochial 
Reports,  and  "extracts"  at  least  from  the  Missionary  Reports,  were 
regularly  read  in  the  Convention,  as  was  required  by  the  Canons  of 
the  General  Convention  from  1804  to  1832,  from  which  latter  year 
"  such  parts  of  them  as  the  Bishop  shall  think  fit  "  were  to  be  read 
and  entered  on  the  Journals  of  the  Convention.*  This  change  left 
the  reading  and  printing  of  the  Parochial  Reports  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  the  Bishop,  where  it  remains  to  this  day,  except  that  the  present 
Canon  substitutes  "  may  "  for  "  shall  "  so  far  as  the  reading  is  con- 
cerned. From  that  time  on,  it  was  customar)'  for  many  years  to 
resolve  each  year  that  "the  reading  of  the  Parochial  Reports  be  dis- 
pensed with,  and  that  they  be  appended  to  the  Journal  of  the  Conven- 
tion," both  of  these  proceedings  being  «//r^  vires  according  to  the 
Canons  of  the  General  Convention.!     The  form  of  Parochial  Report 

extremely  gratified  by  the  honour  done  me  in  the  choice  ;  but  having  been  elected 
to  my  present  office  under  circumstances  which  would  preclude  my  assuming  any 
parochial  connexion  without  the  previous  consent  of  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese, 
I  have  no  alternative  but  to  decline.  Even,  however,  could  I  obviate  the  diffi- 
culty thus  referred  to,  I  find  the  duties  of  the  extensive  charge  with  which  I  am 
entrusted,  as  Diocesan,  quite  as  much  as  my  health  and  strength  are  likely  to 
bear.  To  the  labour  of  visitations  is  added  an  increasing  correspondence  with  all 
parts  of  an  extended  and  growing  Diocese,  together  with  the  duty  of  preparing 
such  counsel  and  instruction  as  its  necessities  may  from  time  to  time  exact. 
Hence  in  the  Parish  I  should  have  little  time  for  aught  else  but  occasional  ser- 
vices, and  my  connexion  with  your  church  would  sink  into  a  mere  formal  one, 
alike  unsatisfying  to  myself  and  unedifying  to  the  Parish.  I  need  not  assure  you 
that  a  residence  in  your  beautiful  village  would  be  very  agreeable  to  me  and  my 
family,  and  I  cherish  a  warm  sense  of  the  kindness  and  courtesy  already  experi- 
enced there."  [From  the  original  letter  dated  Geneva,  Oct.  22,  1839,  through 
the  kindness  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brainard.] 

*Joum.  Gen.  Conv.  1832,  p.  118  (Canon  XLIX). 

t  Later,  the  action  was  made  still  more  irregular  by  directing  at  the  close  of  the 
Convention  "that  the  Clergy  present  their  Parochial  Reports  to  the  Rt.  Rev.  the 
Bishop,"  whereas  the  Canon  requires  that  they  shall  be  presented  "on  or  before 
the  first  day  of  every  Annual  Convention."  (Joum.  Gen.  Conv.  1853,  Canons, 
p.  70.) 


136  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

was  long  afterwards  amended  and  greatly  improved  on  the  report  of 
a  Committee  of  which  the  present  Bishop  of  Maryland  was  Chairman. 
I  have  it  from  Bishop  De  Lancey  that  the  Triennial  Reports  of  West- 
ern New  York  were  exhibited  in  the  General  Convention  as  a  model 
for  all  the  Dioceses. 

A  resolution  offered  in  the  Convention  of  1839  for  the  appointment 
of  "travelling  missionaries,"  failed  of  any  result  simply  for  want 
of  means,  the  Diocese  having  then  and  long  afterwards  all  and  more 
than  all  it  could  do  to  sustain  the  Missionaries  who  were  in  charge  of 
parishes.  It  was  renewed  in  1844  and  1850,  combined  with  a  pro- 
posed amendment  of  the  Canons  which  would  have  taken  from  the 
Board  of  Missions  the  appointment  of  all  missionaries  except  itiner- 
ants ;  the  real  reason  for  this  last  change  being  the  desire  to  diminish 
or  wholly  destroy  any  influence  which  the  Bishop  might  be  supposed 
to  have  in  the  choice  of  rectors  for  the  smaller  parishes.  The  Bishop 
gave  his  views  quite  fully  and  fairly  in  his  Address  of  185 1,  and  as 
the  Diocese  sustained  him  almost  unanimously,  the  project  came  to 
nothing.* 

The  Bishop  brought  before  the  Council  of  1839  the  importance  of 
providing  a  parsonage  in  every  parish,  and  in  the  country,  "  a  few 
acres  of  land  attached  to  it  "  for  a  glebe.  No  action,  beyond  a  reso- 
lution of  approval,  was  taken  by  the  Convention,  but  after  several 
years  the  country  parishes  began  to  acquire  rectories,  and  in  1847  the 
Bishop  states  that  thirty  are  thus  provided. 

The  subject  of  a  Diocesan  depository  for  Sunday  School  books  was 
reported  upon  by  a  Committee  appointed  at  the  Primary  Convention, 
but  resulted  only  in  a  resolution  recommending  the  clergymen  in 
Utica,  Geneva,  Rochester,  Batavia  and  Buffalo,  to  use  their  influ- 
ence to  engage  some  bookseller  in  each  of  those  places  to  keep  on 
hand  a  supply  of  Church  books  and  tracts. 


*  Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1851,   pp.  44,  59. 


CHAPTER    XXIII 


FIRST  VISITATIONS  :    DIOCESAN  FUNDS 


N  his  Address  to  the  Convention  of  1840,  the  Bishop 
reported  that  he  had  visited  72  of  the  parishes  (10  of 
them  twice  or  oftener)  and  20  places  where  the  Church 
was  not  organized  ;  had  ordained  two  Deacons  and  5 
Priests,  admitted  or  received  5  Candidates  for  Orders, 
consecrated  2  churches,  received  9  clergymen  and  transferred  4,  and 
confirmed  441  persons;  that  there  were  now  75  places  calling  for 
the  service  of  Missionaries  (54  of  them  organized  parishes),  but  only 
;^S  missionaries  actually  at  work  ;  making  "  the  largest  Diocesan  mis- 
sionar)-  establishment  in  the  United  States,"  with  which  "no  mis- 
sionary'effort  in  any  Diocese  except  the  neighbouring  one  of  New  York, 
could  be  compared  either  in  number  or  prospects."  He  regarded 
Diocesan  missions  therefore  as  "  the  sheet  anchor  of  the  Church 
amongst  us  ; "  a  field  immediately  around  us  ' '  white  unto  the  harvest, ' ' 
in  which  could  be  seen  before  our  eyes  "  the  verj^  finger  of  Providence 
pointing  us  to  the  sphere  of  duty  ; ' '  w  hich  had  therefore  a  primary  and 
higher  claim  upon  us  than  any  wider  field.  That  the  Diocese  appre- 
ciated this  was  evident  from  the  fact  that  in  a  year  of  almost  unexampled 
scarcity  of  money  and  of  wide  complaint  of  financial  pressure,  the 
plan  of  monthly  collections  for  Church  objects  had  brought  in  54.130, 
more  than  four  times  the  amount  of  the  preceding  year,  although  in 
nearly  one-fourth  of  the  parishes  and  missions  no  collections  had  been 
made, — more,  as  the  Bishop  thought,  for  the  want  of  a  clergyman  to 
introduce  them  than  for  any  other  reason.* 

•  It  was  on  this  visitation  that  the  Bishop  had  his  first  experience  of  Episcopal 
work  among  the  hills  of  the  "  Southern  Tier."  Mr.  Walker  Bennett,  whom  I 
have  mentioned  above  (p.  52)  as  a  pioneer  Churchman  at  South  Danby,  ytas  con- 
veying him  to  that  place  "  in  the  only  possible  way  in  these  days,  with  a  team 
through  the  forest.  The  horses  were  young,  and  the  road  was  'corduroy,'  and 
they  came  to  grief.  When  Mr.  Bennett  had  picked  himself  up  and  gathered  up 
the  fragments,  he  looked  around  in  great  alarm  for  the  Bishop,  whom  he  found  a 
little  way  off  in  the  wood  on  his  knees,"  doubtless  giving  thanks  for  his  preserva- 
tion. The  stor>'  is  told  me  by  Mr.  Bennett's  daughter,  now  the  wife  of  Canon 
Ogden  of  Portland,  Me.  He  himself  tells  how  he  became  a  Churchman  in  the 
admirable  "  Letters  of  a  Farmer  "  in  the  Messenger  of  1827.     He  d.  Feb.  6,  1842. 


138  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

During  this  year,  by  the  cordial  co-operation  of  the  Diocese  of  New 
York,  an  arrangement  had  been  completed  by  which  Western  New 
York,  in  assuming  the  whole  charge  of  its  missionary  work,  would  re- 
ceive from  New  Yor\i,  Jrrsf,  an  annual  contribution  for  four  years  on 
a  sliding  scale, — ^4,000,  $3,000,  $2,000  and  $1,000, — and  secondly, 
the  whole  of  the  "  Permanent  Missionary  Fund  "  of  New  York, 
amounting  then  to  $10,150,  with  an  annual  income  of  $660.50.  By 
this  generous  provision  the  new  Diocese  was  not  only  enabled  to  ad- 
just itself  gradually  to  its  needs,  but  also  to  begin  with  the  nucleus  of 
an  endowment  which  has  called  forth  gifts  and  legacies  to  increase  it, 
and  has  from  time  to  time  been  of  great  service — whatever  may  be 
thought  of  missionary  endowments  in  general — in  "  tiding  over  "  times 
of  scarcity  or  disaster.* 

The  most  notable  work  of  the  Convention  of  1840  was  the  found- 
ing of  "  The  Christmas  Fund  for  Disabled  Clergymen,"  in  response 
to  the  Bishop's  appeal  in  his  Address,  in  which  he  deplored 

"  The  utter  want  of  any  provision  by  the  Church  for  her  aged,  infirm, 
or  superannuated  clergy,  who,  having  borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  the 
day,  are  often,  as  age  and  debility  comes  upon  them,  cutoff  not  only 
from  the  sphere  of  usefulness  but  even  from  the  very  means  of  sub- 
sistence. Christian  liberality  has  provided  no  retreats  for  this  class 
of  persons.  Comfortable  asylums  open  their  doors  to  the  disabled 
soldier  and  sailor  of  the  State  ;  .  .  but  for  the  Soldier  of  the 
Cross,  worn  out  in  the  service  of  the  Church,  or  bowed  down  by 
disease  arresting  him  sometimes  in  the  midst  of  usefulness,  nothing  is 
provided.  How  long  shall  this  reproach  continue  ?  May  God  put  it 
into  the  heart  of  some  one  to  devise  the  plan,  or  to  furnish  the 
means  for  making  this  much  needed  provision  in  the  Church  at  large, 
for  the  venerable  brethren  whom  younger  and  more  active  men  are 
crowding  from  the  field  of  labour  ! 

' '  Such  a  suggestion  and  such  an  effort  will  originate  in  our  youth- 
ful Diocese  with  extreme  propriety,  "t 

The  Bishop  then  goes  on  to  suggest  that  each  clergyman,  or  the 
wardens  of  vacant  parishes,  undertake  to  raise  "  at  least  "  five  dol- 
lars at  Christmas  for  this  object,  to  be  appropriated  by  a  Committee 

*  The  portion  of  this  Fund  held  by  the  present  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 
was  reported  May  i,  1903,  as  $32,592.40;  that  of  Central  New  York  in  1898 
as  $20,453.93. 

t  The  Christmas  Fund  of  Western  New  York  appears  to  have  been  the  ear- 
liest diocesan  action  of  this  kind.  A  similar  fund  was  established  in  the  Diocese 
of  New  York  the  next  year,  at  the  suggestion  of  Bishop  Onderdonk. 


The  Christmas  Fund  139 

of  Laymen  to  disabled  clergymen  of  the  Diocese,  on  the  Bishop's 
certificate  of  disability  and  past  service  ;  no  beneficiary  to  receive 
"  for  the  present  "  more  than  $200  a  year.* 

The  plan  was  adopted  at  once  by  the  Convention,  precisely  as  out- 
lined by  the  Bishop,  and  continued  substantially  unchanged  during 
his  lifetime.  The  idea  of  such  a  provision  for  aged  and  infirm 
clergy  had  been  suggested  more  than  once  by  communications  in  the 
Gospel  Messenger  as  early  as  1834;  but  the  Bishop  himself  in  his 
Address  of  1854  tells  how  it  occurred  to  him.  The  Rev.  Nathan  B. 
Burgess,  ordained  in  Connecticut  in  1801,  and  a  missionary  of  West- 
ern New  York  from  1835, 

"  Applied  to  me,"  the  Bishop  says.  "  in  1840,  at  the  age  of  70 
years,  for  a  missionary  parish.  I  recommended  him  to  three  or  four. 
He  visited  them.  The  next  time  I  saw  him  he  said  to  me,  '  Bishop, 
they  all  tell  me  I  am  too  old.  They  want  a  young  man.  I  can  get 
no  parish.  There  is  no  provision  in  the  Church  for  old  clergymen. 
I  and  my  family  must  go  to  the  county  poor-house.  I  must  die 
there.'  It  was  this  sad  case  which  in  1840  prompted  my  suggestion 
to  the  Convention,  of  'the  Christmas  Fund  for  Disabled  and  Super- 
annuated Clergy,'  of  which  this  Reverend  brother  became  at  once  a 
participant  at  $200  a  year."t 

The  Bishop  thought  that  "  the  sum  of  four  or  five  hundred  dollars  " 
might  be  raised  by  the  offerings  of  the  first  year  ;  but  they  amounted 
to  S1007.79,  of  which  S7oowas  at  once  appropriated  to  four  benefi- 
ciaries. The  annual  offerings  after  this  increased  slowly,  averagmg 
for  the  first  ten  years  from  1840,  $1061.45  ;  for  the  next  decade, 
1851-60,  $1544.29  ;  and  for  the  last  eight  years  of  the  undivided 
Diocese,  186 1-8,  $2002.38.  During  these  28  years  the  Fund 
received  in  all  $50,810.51,  of  which  a  little  more  than  $42,000  appears 
to  have  been  from  Christmas  offerings,  the  remainder  mostly  from 
interest  on  unexpended  income.  The  appropriations  to  beneficiaries 
for  the  same  time  were  $37 ,800.00,  leaving  a  surplus  fund  of  $1 3 ,01 0.5 1 . 
The  average  annual  grant  to  each  beneficiary  during  that  time 
was  $169.50,  no  clergyman  receiving  more  than  $200  a  year  up  to 
1864.  The  consequence  of  this  policy  was  the  gradual  accumulation 
of  a  considerable  permanent  fund,  and  a  corresponding  diminution  of 
interest  and  contributions  on  the  part  of  the  parishes.     In  the   first 

*  Joum.  1S40,  p.  34. 

tjoum.    1854,   p.    27.      Mr.  Burgess  died  at  Utica,    March    20.    1854,  aged  82 
years. 


I40  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

year  the  offerings  averaged  22.5  cents  per  communicant;  twenty- 
years  later,  with  greatly  increased  wealth  in  the  Diocese,  they  had 
gone  down  to  14.5  cents,  and  the  diminution  has  continued  to  this 
day,  the  offerings  of  1902,  and  for  five  years  past,  averaging  less  than 
six  cents  per  communicant,  although  the  appropriations  have  been 
on  a  more  liberal  scale  for  a  number  of  years  past,  and  although  the 
scope  of  the  Fund  was  enlarged  in  1865  to  take  in  the  widows  and 
orphans  of  Clergymen.  It  is  no  more  than  just  to  the  Trustees  of 
Bishop  De  Lancey's  time  to  say  that  their  management  of  the  Fund  so 
as  to  leave  a  considerable  annual  surplus  had  his  full  approval  ;  for, 
generous  as  he  was  in  giving  from  his  ozvn  scanty  income,  he  was 
careful  and  provident  almost  to  a  fault  where  any  trust  was  concerned. 
There  can  be  no  question  that  the  Churchmen  of  the  Diocese  would 
have  given  more  freely  both  to  the  Christmas  Fund  and  to  Diocesan 
Missions,  if  their  offerings  had  been  expended  more  freely.* 

In  the  Convention  of  1840  a  report  was  presented  by  the  Rev.  C. 
S.  Hawks,  as  chairman  of  a  Committee  appointed  the  year  before  "to 
recommend  a  suitable  plan  for  the  foundation  of  new  parishes." 
The  real  subject  of  the  plan,  however,  was  the  building  of  new 
churches,  and  providing  from  them  an  income  for  parish  support.  The 
almost  uniform  practice  up  to  this  time  was  to  "  sell"  the  pews  in  the 
new  church  partly  or  wholly  as  an  equivalent  for  sums  given  or 
promised  towards  its  erection  ;  sometimes  with  a  reservation  of  the 
right  of  the  Vestry  to  "tax"  such  pews,  to  a  certain  or  uncertain 
amount,  for  parish  expenses  (including  the  salary  of  the  clergyman), 
sometimes  without  any  such  reservation.  In  the  latter  case  the  pew 
was  supposed  to  be  the  property  of  the  buyer  in  fee  simple,  whether 
occupied  or  not,  and  was  actually  in  some   cases  rented  by  him  for 


*  In  1S64  (the  last  year  of  the  Civil  war,  when  three  dollars  in  current  money 
were  worth  one  in  gold)  application  was  made  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Christmas 
Fund  for  an  increase  of  the  annuity  (of  $200)  to  ^250,  the  amount  allowed  by  the 
Canon,  for  the  oldest  clergyman  of  the  Diocese,  with  a  family  of  four  persons 
dependent  on  him,  and  with  little  or  nothing  of  their  own  except  their  house. 
The  answer  received  (from  the  late  Mr.  William  B.  Douglas,  himself  one  of  the 
most  generous  givers  for  all  Church  work  that  the  Diocese  ever  had)  was  a  most 
kindly  expressed  and  undoubtedly  sincere  regret  that  "the  condition  of  the  Fund 
would  not  allow  of  any  increase  of  appropriations."  That  year  the  Trustees  report 
as  appropriated  from  the  Fund  to  six  clergymen,  $1,200,  and  added  to  its  principal 
;?i,594.64.     (Joum.  1864,  p.  56.) 


JOHN    ADAMS  t)l     l.\<)NS 


Pews  and  Pkw  Rents  141 

his  own  benefit,  or  kept  unoccupied  at  his  discretion.*  In  one  case 
it  is  said  that  the  Vestry,  finding  themselves  powerless  to  provide 
a  revenue  from  the  pews  thus  "  sold,"  allowed  the  church  to  be  seized 
and  sold  for  debt,  and  so  freed  themselves  from  all  obligations  to  the 
pew-holders,  becoming  by  purchase  the  owners  not  only  of  their 
church  but  of  its  sittings.!  There  had  been  thus  far  no  decision  of 
the  courts  recognized,  or  generally  known,  preventing  such  virtual 
alienation  of  Church  property, and  the  Committee  in  their  report  of  1840 
admit  that  under  such  "sales"  the  purchaser  did  acquire  a  title  in 
fee  simple  of  which  he  could  not  be  dispossessed.  They  only  recom- 
mend that  "  new  parishes  be  prevented  from  falling  into  this  difficulty" 
by  providing  that  on  the  erection  of  any  church,  a  plan  of  the  same 
shall  be  made  with  the  value  of  each  pew  affixed  "  as  the  basis  of  all 
future  taxation  ;"  that  the  sums  subscribed  for  building  the  church 
shall  not  be  considered  as  "  given,"  but  "  as  money  loaned  and  to  be 
refunded  in  pews  in  such  manner  and  under  such  restrictions,  and 
subject  to  the  payment  of  such  rents  and  charges  as  the  wardens  and 
vestr)'men  may  direct."  Such  assessment  never  to  go  outside  of  a 
certain  maximum  and  minimum,  and  if  unpaid  for  two  years,  "the  fee 
simple  in  the  sitting  to  remit  [revert]  to  the  Corporation."  The  plan 
was  adopted  as  reported,  and  remained  as  the  recommendation  of  the 
Convention  till  1852,  when,  as  we  shall  see  later,  it  was  superseded 
entirely  by  action  looking  to  the  gradual  adoption  of  free  seats.  It 
need  hardly  be  said  that  at  this  time  "  free  churches"  were  almost 
unknown  in  this  country,  as  a  principle  or  system.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  there  were  several  small  churches  in  the  Diocese,  in  which  the 
seats  had  been  always  free,t  the  clergyman's  salary,  such  as  it  was, 
being  provided  by  a  subscription  ;  but  more  often  such  a  subscription 
was  the  method  of  support  where  the  pews  were  "  owned,"  or  sup- 
posed to  be,  and  paid  no  tax. 

The  plan  of  support  adopted  in  1840  was  therefore  an  improvement 
on  the  past,  so  far  as  it  went.  A  few  years  later  decisions  were  given 
in  the    Supreme   Court   of  New    York — one    very    notable    one    in 


*  This  was  the  case,  I  remember,  with  a  pew  in  Trinity  church,  Geneva  (the 
present  building),  for  some  years. 

t  I  say  "  it  is  said"  because  I  am  unable  to  give  the  authority  for  this  instance  ; 
but  I  have  no  doubt  of  its  truth. 

X  See  note  on  Trinity  Church,  Fayetteville,  p.  i  lo  su/. 


142  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

1849  on  the  enlargement  of  S.  Peter's  Church,  Auburn — recog- 
nizing the  old  principle  of  English  law  that  the  Vestry  of  a  parish 
were  properly  Trustees,  not  absolute  owners  of  its  real  estate,  nor  in 
fee  simple  except  for  the  definite  purposes  of  their  trust ;  that  they  had 
no  power  to  make  an  actual  "sale"  of  a  seat  in  church,  but  only  the 
right  of  occupying  such  seat  (whether  perpetual  or  limited  in  time), 
subject  to  such  conditions  and  assessments  as  might  be  imposed,  and 
that  a  ' '  deed  ' '  for  a  pew  without  reservation  of  power  to  assess  the 
same  was  void  in  law  ;  further,  that  the  right  so  acquired  by  a  pew 
holder  might  be  destroyed,  and  without  compensation,  by  the  altera- 
tion or  destruction  of  the  building,  unless  protected  by  special  agree- 
ment. All  this,  familiar  and  obvious  as  it  seems  to  us  now,  was,  I 
presume,  utterly  unknown  to  the  Convention  of  1840  ;  and  by  most  of 
its  members,  certainly,  free  churches  were  equally  unheard  of.* 

The  Consecration  of  Grace  Church,  Lyons,  Wayne  county,  Jan. 
14,  1841,  deserves  special  mention  as  the  successful  completion  of 
the  first  church  in  the  Diocese  of  something  like  pure  Gothic  architec- 
ture of  the  latest  (Tudor)  period,  at  a  cost  of  $11,000,— a  great 
undertaking  in  those  days  for  a  small  though  prosperous  village  in 
which  the  Church  had  been  permanently  organized  only  three  years, 
and  now  numbered  but  fifty  Communicants.!  "It  is  a  model,"  says 
the  enthusiastic  correspondent  of  the  Messenger,  "which  every  con- 
gregation possessing  the  ability  would  do  well  to  adopt ;  a  simple 
Gothic  structure  of  stone,  presenting  an  appearance  of  massiveness 
and  solidity  peculiarly  appropriate  to  a  sacred  edifice.  The  interior 
is  beautifully  arranged  and  completely  finished,  and  the  chancel,  for 
elevation  and  spaciousness,  deserves  imitation."  The  constructive 
"  chancel  "  was  in  fact  arranged  like  that  of  S.  Luke's,  Rochester, 
with  an  immensely  high  pulpit  against  the  wall,  and  doors  both  i7i  and 
on  either  side  of  it  opening  into  the  vestry-room,  in  the  rear,  each 

*  See  on  all  this  subject,  Hoffman,  Law  of  the  Church,  1850,  pp.  254-8.  The 
subject  is  also  treated,  but  imperfectly,  in  his  Ecclesiastical  Law  of  New  York,  pp. 
243-54,  and  in  White's  American  Church  Law,  i8g8,  p.  164.  Joum.  W.  N.  Y. 
1840,  p.  44;    1S51,  p.  57;    1852  p,.  67. 

t  The  designs  were  furnished,  we  are  told  {Gospel  Jlfessetiger,  Jan.  23,  1841)  by 
Mr.  James  De  Lancey  Watson  of  New  York.  The  late  Mr.  John  Adams  of 
Lyons  told  me  that  they  were  the  result  of  careful  study  of  country  churches  in 
England.  The  church  had  of  course  the  faults  of  plan  and  arrangement  belong- 
ing to  its  day  (it  has  since  been  greatly  enlarged  and  improved),  but  was  certainly 
a  long  step  in  advance  for  Western  New  York. 


Grace  Church,  Lyons,  1841  143 

one  of  which  was  on  one  occasion  tried  in  succession  by  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  and  most  painfully  bashful  clergymen  Western 
New  York  ever  saw,*  before  he  succeeded  in  reaching  the  exalted 
station  of  the  Preacher  of  that  day. 

The  Rector  under  whom  this  good  work  was  achieved — the  Rev. 
Samuel  Cooke,  later  Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  and  S. 
Bartholomew's,  New  York,  is  still  living, now  (1903)  the  one  survivor  of 
all  the  Clergy  of  Western  New  York  at  the  organization  of  the 
Diocese. t  He  was  nobly  sustained  in  this  work  by  a  little  band  of 
Churchmen  who  for  years  after\vards  made  Lyons  almost  a  model 
parish  ;  foremost  among  them  all  John  Ad.\ms,  who  in  example  of 
personal  character,  home  life,  and  devotion  to  the  Church,  deserved 
and  gained  the  love  and  reverence  of  all  who  knew  him.  With  him 
were  such  men  as  Ambrose  Spencer,  Gen.  William  H.  Adams,  Dr. 
Hiram  Mann,  A.  D.  Polhamus,  and  later,  James  C.  Smith  and  De 
Witt  C.  Parshall, — names  which  can  never  be  forgotten  in  the 
annals  of  Western  New  York.t 


*  Edward  Bourns,  LL.D.,  then  a  College  Tutor  in  Geneva,  afterwards  many 
years  President  of  Non\'ich  University,  Vt.;  an  Irishman,  affectionately  called 
"Teddy"  by  his  students,  as  noble  and  genial  in  character  and  disposition  as  he 
was  quaint  and  singular  in  person  and  manner. 

t  Now,  by  the  decease  of  Bishop  Clark,  Senior  Priest  in  the  United  States. 
(Sept.  7,  1903.) 

t  In  the  next  number  after  the  description  of  the  new  church  at  Lyons,  the 
Messenger  gives  (from  the  Boston  Christian  Witness)  a  long  and  exceedingly  inter- 
esting letter  from  the  Bishop  of  Vermont  (John  Henry  Hopkins)  describing 
minutely  the  arrangements  of  "Mr.  Newman's  Chapel"  at  Littlemore,  apropos 
of  a  "good  natured  controversy"  then  going  on  about  the  use  and  position  of 
the  "reading  desk,"  which  was  just  beginning  to  be  felt  as  neither  useful  nor 
ornamental,  and  was  soon  after  removed  from  several  of  the  churches  in  the 
Diocese,  leaving  the  altar,  still  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  as  the  place  for  Morn- 
ing and  Evening  Prayer  as  well  as  the  Holy  Communion.  The  Littlemore 
chapel  had  evidently  made  a  strong  and  favourable  impression  on  the  Bishop, 
although  he  does  not  commit  himself  to  approval  of  all  its  details.  Per  contra, 
the  next  page  gives  part  of  a  sermon  on  "Clerical  Robes"  by  a  former  W. 
N.  Y.  clergyman  (and  very  thorough-going  Churchman), — the  late  Dr.  F.  H. 
Cuming, — in  which  he  dilates  to  his  heart's  content  on  the  appropriate  symbol- 
ism of  the  black  gown — "  the  emblem  of  sin,  and  the  badge  of  mourning  " — 
for  him  whose  business  it  is  "  to  remind  transgressors  of  the  blackness  of  dark- 
ness into  which  the  finally  impenitent  will  be  plunged."  These  instances  may  at 
least  show  how  little  these  matters  of  vestments  and  chancel  arrangements  had  to 
do  then  with  doctrinal  teaching. 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

EARLY  CONVENTIONS  :   BISHOP'S  ADDRESS  OF  1841 

^^^^^^HE  Fourth  Annual  Convention  of  the  Diocese  was  held 

pl^^^dl    in  Trinity  Church,  Utica,   Aug.    18,  1841,  two  months 

(Ik^^J  11     ^^rlier  than  heretofore.      That  summer  month,  which 

4^;j^^^_JI|     the  vacation  habits  of  later  years  have  made  an  almost 

impracticable  one,  was  continued  as  the  time  for  the 

Convention  until  187 1.  Up  to  1867  the  opening  services  were  always 
the  same,  Morning  Prayer,  Litany,  Sermon  and  Holy  Communion, 
with  a  full  church  and  a  great  number  of  communicants.  The 
Bishop's  Charge  sometimes  took  the  place  of  the  sermon.  One  need 
not  be  wholly  laudator  teniporis  acti  to  recall  those  services  as  far 
more  dignified  and  impressive,  as  they  certainly  were  better  attended, 
especially  by  the  laymen  of  the  Diocese,  than  those  which  have  taken 
their  place  in  later  years.  "  One  thing,"  says  Dr.  Rudd  of  this 
Convention  of  1841,  "  struck  us  with  peculiar  force  in  the  services  of 
this  morning  ;  the  fullness  of  the  responses,  evincing  the  power  of 
our  Liturgy,  when  those  who  love  it  join  in  it  with  the  fervour  which 
we  remarked  on  this  occasion.  We  are  very  sure  that  all  must 
have  perceived  a  thrilling  and  powerful  emotion  through  the  whole 
audience.     Why  should  it  not  be  always  so?" 

The  Sermon  that  year  was  by  Dr.  Hale,  who  did  not  yield  to  Dr. 
Rudd's  wish  to  publish  it  in  the  Messenger ;  and  we  can  give  only  his 
text,  I.  Cor.  I.  23,  "We  preach  Christ  crucified." 

The  Bishop  reports  his  Diocese  (after  a  residence  in  it  of  little 
more  than  two  years)  as  "advancing  in  devotedness  to  the  service  of 
Christ,  by  increased  cultivation  of  the  graces  of  His  blessed  Gospel, 
and  by  firmer  devotion  to  the  conservative  principles  of  His  holy 
Church.  The  harmony  and  unity  of  feeling  and  action  have  not  been 
disturbed."  There  were  now  one  hundred  clergymen  in  actual  resi- 
dence, an  increase  of  one-third  since  the  organization  three  years 
before,  and  eight  candidates  for  Orders.  Forty-three  of  the  clergy 
were  Missionaries,  officiating  in  61  parishes  and  23  unorganized  con- 
gregations. Nine  churches  were  building,  several  others  in  process 
of  enlargement.     There  had  been  509  confirmed,  making  1432  since 


liENJAMIN   HALK.  D.D. 


Van  Wagenen  Fund  145 

the  Bishop's  beginning  of  visitations.  Ten  new  parishes  had  been 
founded,  making  107  in  all,  in  addition  to  Missionary  stations  not  yet 
organized.* 

The  Bishop  had  mentioned  in  his  Address  of  1840!  the  bequest 
by  the  late  Gerritt  H.  Van  Wagenen  to  the  vestry  of  S.  George's 
Church,  New  Y'ork,  of  land  in  Saratoga  county  (1000  acres,  as  after- 
wards described t)  in  trust  for  the  support  of  a  Missionary  in  Chen- 
ango county.  In  the  Address  of  1841  (Journ.  p.  30)  is  given  a  certi- 
fied extract  from  the  will,  with  the  statement  that  the  vestry  declined 
acting  as  Trustees.  We  hear  nothing  more  of  this  bequest  till  1849, 
when  Mr.  Joseph  Juliand  of  Greene  reports  that  the  lot  has  been 
conveyed  to  him  as  Trustee.  The  next  year  Si, 000  was  added  to 
this  bequest  by  Mr.  Van  Wagenen's  heirs  "  for  the  purpose  of  more 
effectually  carrj'ing  out  his  design. "§  In  1852  the  land,  which 
appears  to  have  been  of  little  value,  was  sold  for  $400,  of  which  one- 
half  had  to  be  paid  for  taxes.  As  the  Fund  was  too  small  to  be  used 
to  advantage,  it  accumulated  from  year  to  year,  and  at  the  division  of 
the  Diocese  in  1868,  when  it  became  the  property  of  the  Diocese  of 
Central  New  York,  it  amounted  to  nearly  $4,000.  ||  In  187 1  the  sum 
of  $1,200  was  added  by  two  members  of  the  Van  Wagenen  family. 
In  1872  a  bequest  of  Cyrus  Tuttle  of  $1,000  is  reported,  with  $300 
more  from  the  Van  Wagenen  family.  In  1873  $1 .000  more  from  the 
family,  making  the  Fund  $10,885.00.  In  1874  $2,000  more  from 
the  family  ;  in  1875  $3,650  (given  in  1874);  in  1876  a  Missionary  is 
employed  (the  Rev.  Russel  Todd)  at  a  stipend  of  $900,  which  appears 
to  be  the  first  use  of  the  income  of  the  Fund  for  Missionary  work. 
Mr.  Todd  resigned  in  1880,  and  the  work  was  suspended  to  1885, 
from  which  time  a  Missionary  was  employed  at  M'Donough  and  parts 
adjacent  at  $600  a  year.  In  1887  a  further  bequest  was  received 
from  Catharine  Van  Wagenen,  "the  last  member  of  the  family,"  of 


*  It  will  be  remembered  that  until  more  than  forty  years  after  this,  there  was 
no  way  in  which  missions  could  be  organized  except  by  legal  incorporation  as 
parishes. 

t  Joum.  1840,  p.  24. 

t  Joum.  1849,  P-  50- 

§  Joum.  1850,  p.  49. 

II  Joum.  1868,  p.  80.  Mr.  Juliand  continued  to  be  the  faithful  and  efficient 
Trustee  of  this  fund  till  his  decease,  Feb.  18,  1870,  when  Mr.  John  K.  Van 
Wagenen  was  appointed  in  his  place. 


146  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

$2,000.  In  1898  the  whole  amount  of  the  Fund  is  reported  at 
$30,  088.61,  having  increased  $1,364.51  during  the  year  ;  its  income 
$1,566,66  ;  no  considerable  appropriation  for  missionary  work  since 
1889.* 

The  Bishop  earnestly  exhorts  the  clergy  ' '  in  county  towns  or  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  poor-houses,"  to  visit  statedly  "these  scenes  of 
woe,  not  only  with  a  view  to  distributing  Bibles,  tracts,  and  Prayer 
Books,  but  for  the  purposes  of  Christian  consolation,  instruction  and 
devotion  ;"  "to  regard  the  prison  and  alms-house  as  part  of  their  cure, 
and  report  their  visitations  to  them,"  as  "a  field  of  labour  in  which  they 
will  not  probably  be  interfered  with,  and  to  which  they  are  called  as 
well  by  the  wants  and  woes  of  the  inmates,"  as  by  the  voice  of  their 
Master. 

He  makes  the  Gospel  Messenger  his  ' '  organ  of  communication  with 
the  Diocese,"  and  earnestly  recommends  it  as  contrasted  with  many 
religious  papers  not  only  by  its  ' '  moderation  and  freedom  from  asper- 
ity,"  but  by  its  "consistency  of  piety  and  principle,  and  honest  main- 
tenance of  the  sound  principles  of  the  Church  of  Christ. ' '  The  Bishop 
was  throughout  his  Episcopate  a  very  frequent  and  most  useful  contri- 
butor to  the  paper,  and  some  of  his  best  and  most  memorable  writ- 
ings appeared  first  in  its  columns. 

He  recommends  that  applications  for  aid  in  building  churches  and 
other  parochial  objects,  especially  to  New  York  and  other  places 
outside  the  Diocese,  should  be  made,  if  at  all,  by  laymen,  not  by  clergy- 
men ;  and  that  the  latter  should  do  very  much  more  to  aid  the  mis- 
sionary work  of  the  Diocese  by  explaining  and  enforcing  it  in  their 
own  parishes,  in  sermons  and  otherwise,  by  which  he  thinks  the  con- 
tributions of  the  Diocese  for  this  work  might  be  doubled. t 

We  find  also  this  year  the  first  allusion  to  the  ' '  controversy  respect- 
ing the  Oxford  Tracts,"  which  had  penetrated  this  Diocese  to  a 
very  limited  extent.  He  "entertained  no  fears  of  injurious  effects  to 
the  Church  amongst  us  from  these  writings,"  which  were  "  nowhere 
regarded  as  standard  works,  or  tests  of  Churchmanship  ;  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  Clergy  and  Laity  who  read  them  will  sift  the  wheat  from 


*  Journals  of  C.  N.  Y.  1871-98.  The  Rev.  Robert  M.  Duff,  D.D.,  has  now 
been  appointed  (from  May  i,  1903)  Missionary  for  Chenango  county  on  this 
Foundation. 

t  Joum.  1841,  p.  32. 


Foreign  Missions,   1841  147 

the  chaff,"  taking  advantage  of  "  whatever  in  them  tends  to  strengthen 
the  walls  of  our  Zion,"  and  "repudiating  whatever  shall  be  found 
inconsistent  with  the  Bible  and  the  Prayer  Book."  The  idea  of  divid- 
ing the  Church  by  this  controversy  he  holds  to  be  "  preposterous  in 
the  extreme." 

Finally  he  commends  most  heartily  the  educational  work  going  on 
in  the  Diocese,  at  Hobart  (then  '•  Geneva")  College,  at  Hobart  Hall, 
Holland  Patent,  under  the  Rev.  Stephen  M'Hugh,  and  at  the  School 
for  Girls  in  Lockport,  under  the  Rev.  E.  H.  Cressey.  At  the  Com- 
mencement at  Geneva  he  was  peculiarly  gratified  to  have,  as  last  year, 
the  presence  and  counsels  of  the  Bishop  of  New  York,  evincing  his 
continued  interest  in  the  Institutions  of  the  Diocese. 

In  the  Gospel  Messenger  of  this  year  (XV.  162)  may  be  seen  Bishop 
De  Lancey's  remarks  on  Foreign  Missions  in  the  General  Convention 
of  1 84 1,  which  for  a  long  time  subjected  him  to  the  imputation  in 
some  quarters  of  being  "unfriendly  to  Foreign  Missions."  The  fact 
is  that  the  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Church  were  at  that  time  not  only 
deeply  in  debt  but  on  the  verge  of  bankruptcy  ;  and  the  Bishop,  who 
had  an  inborn  horror  of  all  kinds  of  debt,  pleaded  only  for  a  limitation 
of  the  work  to  points  to  which  the  Church  in  this  country  was  evidently 
called  by  the  visible  circumstances  of  the  case.  He  vindicates  his 
position  with  great  ability  and  eloquence,  and  was  sustained  heartily 
and  unanimously  by  his  own  Diocese  in  the  next  year's  Convention, 
at  which  he  presented  more  fully  his  views  as  to  serious  defects  both 
in  the  Constitution  and  practical  work  of  the  Board  of  Missions  as 
then  constituted.* 

In  the  Messenger  of  New  Year's  Day  1842,  I  find  a  communication 
from  Bishop  De  Lancey  (which  he  says  had  come  to  him  from  some 
unknown  source)  telling  the  story  of  the  starting  of  the  Church  in  the 
first  of  what  Bishop  Coxe  used  to  call  "  the  three  Sodi  " — the  beauti- 
ful little  "  Sodus  village,"  sometimes  known  as  "  the  Ridge."  In 
the  very  early  days  of  the  nineteenth  century,  Thomas  Wickham,  a 
young  man  of  old  S.  Michael's,  Charleston,  under  Theodore  Dehon, 
aftenvards  Bishop  of  South  Carolina,  found  himself,  during  some 
years  in  the  West  Indies,  cut  off  from  all  help  to  Christian  living  and 
worship  except  what  he  could  find  in  his  own  Prayer- Book.  Later 
coming  with  his  family   to   the   early  settlement  at  Sodus   Point  on 

*  Joum.  1S42,  pp.  23,  58. 


148  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Lake  Ontario,  he  gathered  his  household  for  service  each  Sunday  till 
they  learned  to  their  joy  of  another  Church  family  *  in  the  hamlet 
where  no  other  ministrations  had  been  known  than  those  of  the  old 
Baptist  "  Elder  Seba  Norton,"  and  the  Methodist  Mark  Johnson. 
Soon  othevs  were  found  who  were  glad  to  unite  in  the  service,  read  a 
sermon,  and  "  lead  in  the  singing."  Davenport  Phelps,  then  in  his 
last  days  of  illness  at  Pulteneyville,  near  by,  came  to  visit  the  little 
flock  ;  then  came  an  interview  with  Bishop  Hobart  and  Orin  Clark 
at  Geneva,  and  a  welcome  gift  of  Prayer  Books  ;  then  a  Sunday 
School  was  begun,  in  which  the  coloured  people  were  especially  inter- 
ested ;  then  the  Wickhams  removed  to  the  larger  settlement  at  ' '  the 
Ridge,"  and,  with  the  visits  and  services  of  Mr.  Clark  to  help  them, 
began  in  earnest  the  founding  of  a  parish  and  the  building  of  a  church, 
— with  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  Church  people  at  Sodus  Point, 
but  with  small  numbers  and  scanty  means.  Bishop  Hobart  now  came 
himself  to  Sodus,  not  only  to  preach  and  confirm  but  to  encourage 
them  with  commendation  of  their  zeal,  which  he  said  "  would  carry 
the  Church  to  Indiana"  {i.  e.,  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  of  that  day)  if 
they  went  there,  and  with  promises  of  help  from  New  York  which 
were  subsequently  fulfilled.  The  parish  was  organized  and  the  church 
begun  in  1826,  but  it  was  eight  years  later  before  the  building 
(modelled  after  the  old  S.  John's,  Canandaigua,  then  considered  "  a 
pattern  for  all  to  follow")  was  finished,  free  from  debt  and  ready  for 
consecration,  at  Bishop  Onderdonk's  visitation  of  Sept.  8,  1834. 
Thomas  Wickham  became  its  first  Warden  and  first  Lay  Delegate  to 
the  Convention  of  New  York.f  In  the  mid-years  of  the  century  the 
little  parish  saw  some  hard  and  discouraging  times,  with  long  vacan- 
cies, but  it  has  never  been  without  a  little  band  of  faithful,  earnest 
and  intelligent  Churchmen  both  in  its  original  home  and  in  its  two 


*  Doubtless  that  of  Col.  Peregrine  Fitzhugh  from  Maryland,  who  with  his 
large  household  of  slaves  had  come  to  Sodus  in  1803,  after  three  years  in  Geneva. 
One  of  his  sons,  Bennett  C.  Fitzhugh,  married  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Daven- 
port Phelps,  and  their  daughter  Henrietta  became  the  wife  of  the  late  Rev.  Henry 
Whitehouse  Spalding,  D.D. 

t  His  widow,  whom  I  knew  personally  in  my  college  days  at  Geneva,  became 
under  Bishop  Coxe,  Nov.  20,  1873,  the  first  Deaconess  of  the  Diocese,  but  at  an 
age  when,  as  the  Bishop  says,  she  could  do  little  more  than  "  continue  in  prayer 
and  supplication."  She  died  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  Aug.  2,  1884,  aet.  93.  (See 
Joum.  1874,  p.  59.) 


S.  JUllN  .^  CHLKCII,  MJlU  .s 
Consecrated  1X34 


The  Sodus  Church  149 

colonies  of  Christ  Church,  Sodus  Point,  aiul  S.  Luke's,  Sodus  Centre 
(both  the  out<;ro\vth  from  Sunday  Schools  taught  by  earnest  Church- 
women  in  their  own  homes)  ;  and  at  the  end  of  eighty  years  it  is  now 
a  fairly  prosperous  village  church,  and  a  constant  helper  in  all  diocesan 
work.  It  is  but  a  commonplace  history  after  all,  the  story  of  many  a 
countr)'  parish  in  \\'estern  New  \ork  ;  but  as  Bishop  l)e  Lancey  thought 
it  worth  telling  at  much  greater  length,  it  may  not  unfitly  come  in  here.* 

•  A  few  pages  later  in  the  Messenger  comes  another  story  of  beginnings,  not  this 
time  in  Western  New  York  :  the  editor  learns  through  private  letters  that  "  the 
young  missionaries  who  took  up  their  abode  at  Prairievilie  last  summer  are  faith- 
fully and  effectually  labouring,"  .  .  "as  Missionaries  of  the  Cross  literally 
taking  up  their  cross  with  joy,  living  in  the  verj'  simplest  and  coarsest  way  that 
they  may  toil  for  the  souls  of  men.  They  have  organized  a  number  of  parishes 
in  the  section  around  their  centre,  Prairievilie,  a  new  and  yet  wild  place 
where  they  have  a  church  named  S.  John's  in  the  Wilderness."  The  young 
missionaries  were  Hobart,  Breck,  and  Adams,  and  the  place  is  Nashotah. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


FIRST  CHARGE:     CLERGY  OF   1839-44 

N  the  17th  of  August,  1842,  the  Bishop  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  the  Fifth  Convention  in  the  new, 
and  for  that  day,  costly  and  stately  church  of  S.  Paul, 
Syracuse,  which  he  had  consecrated  on  the  5th  of  the 
preceding  month,  in  the  presence  of  eleven  clergymen, 
and  of  a  congregation  which  filled  every  sitting  and  standing  place  to 
the  chancel  steps.  Syracuse  was  now  a  busy  and  prosperous  village 
of  some  nine  thousand  inhabitants  ;  but  the  parish  had  been  organ- 
ized and  had  a  resident  clergyman  but  sixteen  years,  and  had  now 
but  ninety  communicants.  We  have  seen  already,  however  (p.  89 
above)  that  the  people  of  S.  Paul's  were  accustomed  to  show  the  same 
prompt  and  energetic  spirit  in  ecclesiastical  as  in  secular  affairs  ;  and 
it  is  less  wonderful  then  that  under  the  leadership  of  Henry  Greg- 
ory, one  of  the  most  able,  enthusiastic  and  self-denying  Priests  that 
ever  ministered  in  Western  New  York,  they  should  have  completed 
and  paid  for,  within  one  year,  this  substantial  Tudor  church  of  stone, 
102  feet  by  51  (including  its  tower  of  i  lo  feet  in  height),  with  bell 
and  organ,  at  a  cost  of  more  than  $13,000.* 

At  this  Convention  the  Bishop  gave  his  first  Charge  to  the 
Clergy,  on  "  The  Extent  of  Redemption."  The  Messenger  says  that 
it  occupied  an  hour  and  twelve  minutes  in  delivery,  and  although 
Bishop  De  Lancey's  very  presence  and  manner  compelled  interest  in 
everything  which  he  said  in  public  or  in  private  (as  all  will  attest  who 
can  remember  him),  I  imagine  that  this  Charge  must  have  seemed 
long  to  some  of  his  hearers.  It  is  an  exhaustive  discussion  of  a 
purely  theological  subject,  in  his  most  systematic  and  formal  manner, 
unrelieved  by  the  stirring  and  eloquent  passages  which  were  sure  to 
find  their  way    into  his  ordinary  sermons.       He  points  out  first  the 

*In  1858,  under  the  rectorship  of  the  Rev.  George  Morgan  Hills,  D.D.,  the 
church  was  enlarged,  and  a  chancel  added  and  fitted  up  from  designs  by  the  pres- 
ent writer.  In  1885,  under  the  present  Rectoir,  the  Rev.  Henry  R.  Lockwood, 
D.D.,  it  was  replaced  by  the  present  grand  and  beautiful  church,  which  from  that 
time  until  lately  was  the  pro-cathedral  of  the  Diocese. 


Bishop  De  Lancey's  Charge,  1842  151 

three  theories  of  Redemption  which  have  been  held — Calvinism 
(particular  election),  Universalisni  (in  its  two  forms  of  "  restoration  " 
and  denial  of  all  future  punishment),  and  intermediate  between  them 
the  Catholic  doctrine  of  a  Redemption  unlimited,  but  dependent  for  its 
final  issue  on  man's  acceptance  of  it.  This  Catholic  doctrine  in  all 
its  points  he  shows  to  be  the  teaching  of  the  Church  in  all  times,  sus- 
tained by  the  Apostolic  Fathers  and  by  Holy  Scripture  ;  that  it  is 
fully  reasonable  in  itself,  and  consistent  with  all  we  know  of  the 
attributes  of  God  and  man's  relations  towards  Him.  as  well  as  with  the 
analogy  of  all  human  relations  ;  and  not  less  to  be  received  because 
under  some  systems  of  religious  teaching  the  doctrine  of  future  pun- 
ishment, especially,  has  been  grossly  exaggerated  by  the  imagina- 
tions of  men.  As  printed,  the  Charge  is  supplemented  by  notes  at 
some  length  on  the  testimony  of  Christian  Antiquity,  on  the  true 
teaching  of  Art.  X\'II.  on  Predestination  and  Election ,  on  Purga- 
tor)'.  and  on  explanations  of  Scripture  supposed  to  be  inconsistent 
with  the  Catholic  doctrine. 

The  Convention  unanimously  requested  the  Bishop's  consent  to 
the  publication  of  the  Charge,  and  directed  the  printing  of  five  thou- 
sand copies,  which  must  have  been  done,  as  S188.50  seems  to  have 
been  paid  for  it.      But  it  is  now  a  very  rare   pamphlet. 

A  considerable  part  of  the  Bishop's  Address  of  1842  is  devoted  to 
the  General  Missions  of  the  Church,  then  certainly  in  an  unsatisfac- 
tory condition,  judging  by  the  very  great  deficiency  in  offerings  for 
them.  He  had  referred  to  the  subject,  as  we  have  seen,  (p.  148 
above  )  in  the  previous  year,  but  he  now  points  out  what  he  regarded 
as  radical  defects  not  only  in  the  action  but  in  the  organization  of 
the  Board  of  Missions,  first  as  not  corresponding  at  all  in  its  mem- 
bership to  the  size  and  contributions  of  the  Dioceses  ;  second  -aiS  includ- 
ing certain  ex-officio  members  who  had  no  proper  claim  to  such  a 
character  ;  third  as  not  sufficiently  guarding  the  rights  of  Diocesans  ; 
and  fourth  as  giving  no  separate  vote  to  the  whole  House  of  Bishops. 
These  provisions,  as  well  as  the  Double  Secretaries,  Treasurers  and 
Committees  for  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missions  respectively,  were 
understood  to  be  a  secret  or  at  least  unacknowledged  "compromise" 
between  the  Church  parties  of  that  day,  by  which  Domestic  Missions 
were  to  be  "High  Church"  and  Foreign  Missions  "Low  Church,"  as 
they  actually  were  for  many  years  later.     That  the  position  taken  by 


152  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Bishop  De  Lancey  arose  from  no  indifference  to  the  General  Missions 
of  the  Church,  he  shows  conclusively  by  the  facts  that  in  three  years 
the  number  of  parishes  in  the  Diocese  contributing  to  such  exterior 
objects  had  increased  from  16  to  58  ;  that  one-fifth  of  all  offerings  for 
extra-parochial  objects  were  given  to  the  Board  of  Missions  ;  and 
finally  that  no  diocese  in  the  country,  except  South  Carolina,  had  a 
larger  proportion  of  parishes  thus  contributing,  and  all  except  New 
York  and  Western  New  York  gave  diminished  support  during  the  last 
year. 

During  this  Diocesan  year  the  Bishop  had  visited  87  parishes  and 
missions,  a  larger  number  than  in  any  previous  year  ;  had  conse- 
crated 8  churches,  received  9  clergymen,  preached  163  times,  con- 
firmed 646  persons  (the  largest  number  thus  far),  and  travelled  on 
his  visitations  4,525  miles, — a  very  large  proportion  of  this  journey- 
ing (though  he  does  not  say  so)  without  any  help  from  railways. 
There  were  now  103  clergymen  and  17  candidates  for  Orders  (more 
than  for  many  years  past  in  the  present  Diocese),  15  of  the  latter 
College  graduates. 

"Unbroken  peace  and  harmony  continue  to  prevail  throughout  the 
Diocese  ;  and  so  far  as  human  eye  can  discern,  there  has  been  a 
proportionate  advance  in  spiritual  religion  and  enlightened  attachment 
to  the  Cross  and  Church  of  Christ.  The  Church  is  pursuing  her  path 
of  duty  in  turning  men  to  righteousness, — not  to  one  or  two  points 
of  moral  reformation,  but  to  all  ;  not  to  making  men  better  citizens 
only,  but  to  rendering  them  fellow  citizens  with  the  Saints,  and  of  the 
Household  of  God." 

The  condition  of  the  Diocese  in  detail  is  given  most  fully  in  the 
Parochial  and  Missionary  Reports,  which  are  not  mere  figures  as  they 
mostly  are  now-a-days,  but  abound  in  "  remarks  "  of  much  interest. 
There  is  no  way  in  which  they  can  be  condensed  for  an  outline  his- 
tory like  this,  and  still  be  readable  ;  those  who  are  fortunate  enough 
to  possess  the  Journals  of  those  days,  and  patient  enough  to  read  them, 
will  find  much  to  reward  their  search,  not  only  in  the  story  of  the 
parish,  but  much  more  in  the  light  it  throws  on  the  Clergy  of  those 
growing  years — some  of  them  indeed  known  and  honoured  through 
many  a  later  year.  Mostly  they  are  full  of  encouragement  and  hope. 
Henry  S.  Attwater*  making  a  beginning  at  Hunt's  Hollow  (through 

*  One  of  the  four  young  men  (all  candidates  for  Orders)  who  made  up  the 
j^c(7/7i/graduatmg  class  ('27)  of  Hobart. 


w  II  i.i.wi  >iii  I.  n  "N.  h  1 1 


Parish    Prikms  of    1842  153 

the  noted  and  large-hearted  families  of  the  Hunts,  the  Bennetts  and 
the  Brookses*),  Portageville,  Nunda.  and  a  large  part  more  of  Liv- 
ingston and  Allegany  counties;  Humphrey  Hollis  atOlean,  keeping 
up  the  vacant  and  discouraged  fiock  at  Mayville;  Beardsley  North- 
rup  at  Moravia,  rebuilding  the  little  church  burned  down  almost  as 
soon  as  it  was  finished  ;  Lucius  Smith  at  Fredonia  and  Koreslville  ; 
Major  A.  Xickcrson  (a  most  devoted  Missionary,  early  removed  by 
death)  at  Catharine,  Havana  (now  Montour  Falls),  W'atkins  and  Mill- 
port;  Kendrick  Metcalf  at  Klmira  :  John  V.  Van  Ingen  laying  solid 
and  permanent  foundations  ("without  any  of  the  arts  of  money 
gathering  ")  at  Greene  and  elsewhere  in  Chenango  county  ;  Andrew 
Hull  at  New  Berlin  ;  William  Shelton  with  S.  Paul's,  Buffalo,  "  in 
its  usual  condition  of  steady  advancement  "  in  knowledge,  piety  and 
Church  principles ;  Cicero  Hawks  completing  the  Doric  temple 
without  a  front  which  was  for  forty-three  years  the  spiritual  home  of 
Trinity  Church  ;  James  A.  Bolles  enlarging  the  yet  severer  Grecian 
fane  occupied  by  S.  James's  Church,  Batavia.  to  this  day  ;  George 
D.  Gillespie,  the  pattern  Parish  Priest  at  Le  Roy,  as  he  was  after- 
wards in  Palmyra  ;  Ferdinand  Rogers  at  Brownville  and  Dexter  in 
training  for  his  almost  life-long  parish  work  in  Greene  ;  Edward 
Ingersoll  similarly  preparing  at  Geneseo  for  his  lifelong  service  in 
Buffalo  ;  Henry  Lockwood,  home  from  the  China  Mission  to  give  the 
rest  of  his  days  (forty-three  years)  to  Honeoye  Falls  and  Pittsford, 
and  leave  a  fragrant  memory  of  devoted  service  and  pure  character 
to  all  who  knew  him  ;  Henry  J.  Whitehouse,  giving  his  three  hundred 
and  ninety-third  Bible  lecture,  and  his  eleventh  course  of  seventeen 
Lent  Lectures  in  S.  Luke's  Rochester,  with  unfailing  interest  on 
the  part  of  his  people  :  Lloyd  Windsor  ''  finishing  the  foundations  " 
of  the  noble  parish  of  Grace  Church,  Lockport ;  Marcus  A.  Perry 
carrj'ing  on  the  "  Hobart  Hall  "  School  founded  by  Judge  De 
Angelis   at    Holland     Patent,    together    with   the    little  parish  of  S. 


♦Descendants  of  one  of  the  most  noted  "  Major  (»enerals  "  of  old  time  W. 
N.  V.  Militia,  Micah  Brooks.  The  Bennetts  are  still  the  foremost  Church  family 
of  the  little  parish,  which  through  their  faithful  service  has  been  kept  up  through 
many  tr)ing  years.  The  first  of  the  family,  Walter  Bennett,  a  "Connecticut 
Churchman,"  came  to  "  Hunt's  Hollow  "  (now  called  "  Hunt's  ")  in  1816,  and  he 
and  Sanford  Hunt  were  the  founders  and  first  Wardens  of  S.  Mark's  Church. 
Mr.  Bennett  died  May  20,  1S43.     (See  obit,  in  Gosp.  Mess.  XVII.  S3.) 


154  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Paul's  ;  Stephen  M'Hugh,  the  warm-hearted  and  eccentric  Irishman, 
doing  a  similar  double  work  with  the  "  De  Lancey  Institute"  at 
Westmoreland  ;  Hobart  Williams,  the  refined  and  scholarly  Priest  who 
had  become  Henry  L.  Storrs's  successor  at  New  Hartford  ;  Albert  C. 
Patterson  and  Pierre  Alexis  Proal  at  Utica  ;  Joseph  T.  Clarke  at 
Skaneateles ;  Augustine  Prevost  pouring  out  the  last  year  of  life 
and  strength  in  his  most  devoted  pastorate  in  Canandaigua  ;  Pierre 
P.  Irving  at  Geneva,  Erastus  Spalding  at  Phelps,  John  M'Carty  at 
Oswego,  Eli  Wheeler  at  Waterloo,  Phine as  Whipple  at  Bath  ; — what  a 
galaxy  of  noble  workers  in  the  Lord's  Vineyard  here,  (all,  Bishop 
Gillespie  only  excepted,  mcnc  ad  astra), — though  it  will  be  but  a  mere 
catalogue  of  names,  I  fear,  to  many,  even  Western  New  York  Church- 
men, who  read  it  sixty  years  later. 

Occasionally,  indeed,  there  comes  a  sadly  amusing  variation  from 
the  hopeful  if  not  confident  tone  of  the  repoits  ;  as  when  good  Mr. 
Spalding  tells  us  in  1841  that  his  hopes  of  building  a  church  in 
"  Vienna  "  (Phelps)  have  "  suffered  almost  every  vicissitude,"  and 
at  present  "  there  appears  to  be  a  settled  calm  "  in  the  matter  ;  and 
the  next  year  in  still  sadder  strains,  expresses  his  conviction  that  "there 
is  a  power  which  is  able  to  plant  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the  very 
heart  of  Satan's  Kingdom,"  and  his  "heartfelt  prayer  that  that  power 
may  be  exerted  /lere,"  for  "  until  it  is  most  effectually  done,  there  can 
be  little  to  hope  for  the  cause  of  the  Church."*  Well,  he  lived  to 
go  back  there  for  the  last  year  of  his  life  (1853),  and  officiate  in  the 
beautiful  stone  church  which  had  finally  become  an  accomplished 
fact.t 


*Joum.  i84i,p.83;   1842,  p.  97. 

t  Another  Missionary,  the  Rev.  Rufus  Murray,  of  Seneca  Falls, writes  (but  this 
is  a  later  Report)  in  a  much  more  joyful  but  no  less  amusing  strain.  "  When 
the  Rector  took  charge  of  this  parish,  he  found  it  greatly  embarrassed  by  liabili- 
ties .  .  in  consequence  pi  which  the  congregation  had  become  disheartened 
and  dejected  ;  but  by  exertion,  and  the  blessing  of  God,  seconded  by  the  liberal- 
ity of  the  people  and  aided  by  the  Ladies'  Sewing  Society, the  debts  have  all  been 
paid, — the  Church  carpeted,  confidence  restored,  and  an  increased  and  devout 
attendance  on  her  services,  with  a  prospect  of  future  prosperity  and  happiness." 
(Joum.  1846,  p.  99.)  Another  says  more  briefly  :  "Having  nothing  favourable  to 
report  of  this  parish,  I  close  with  the  wish  for  its  spiritual  prosperity."  (Joum. 
1843,  p.  62.)  Still  another  reports  that  "a  new  carpet  and  entirely  new  dressings 
for  the  desk  and  pulpit  have  been  purchased  and  applied  to  the  use  of  the  congre- 
gation, which  continues  in  great  union  and  harmony."     (Joum.  1849,  P-  S^-) 


"  TiiK  Faithful  Bishop"  155 

The  Bishop  mentions  with  hearty  commendation  the  beginning  of  a 
new  Church  in  Geneva  to  replace  the  httle  wooden  edifice  of  1810, 
and  the  completion  and  consecration  of  churches  in  several  of  the 
smaller  villages, — Clyde,  Stafford,  Iloneoye  Falls,  East  Bloomfield, 
Granby  and  Cape  Vincent ;  and  the  high  character  of  "  Geneva  Col- 
lege "  for  "  sound,  efficient,  and  faithful  teaching," — "supplying  the 
means  of  adequate  education  for  our  youth  generally,  and  of  sound 
and  thorough  preliminary  instruction  for  our  theological  students  in 
particular."  But  this  is  only  to  quote  what  he  said  publicly  and  pri- 
vately with  the  fullest  conviction,  every  year  of  his  Episcopate.  He 
thoroughly  believed  in  Catholic  Christianity  as  the  sine  qua  non  of 
all  true  education,  not  of  childhood  merely  but  of  full  manhood  ;  and 
no  man  ever  did  more  to  promote  it  within  the  sphere  of  his  office 
and  duty. 

The  last  important  duty  of  the  Bishop  for  1842  was  as  the  Preach- 
er at  the  Consecration  of  the  Rev.  Manton  Eastburn,  D.D.,  as 
Bishop-Coadjutor  (  as  it  is  now  called  )  of  Massachusetts.  His  ser- 
mon on  that  occasion  was  published  in  Boston,  under  the  title  of 
"The  Faithful  Bishop:  His  Office,  Character  and  Reward,"  with 
some  historical  notes  appended,  making  a  handsome  large-type 
pamphlet  of  64  pages,  now,  I  presume,  like  all  his  published  Ser- 
mons and  Charges,  very  rare.  It  is  one  of  unusual  excellence  even 
for  him,  both  in  substance  and  language,  and  attracted  attention  and 
high  commendation  at  the  time  from  all  parts  of  the  Church.*  The 
text  was  Rev.  II.  10,  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  crown  of  life." 

I  wish  I  could  quote  in  full  the  allusion  to  the  desolate  Isle  of  Pat- 
mos,  with    which    the    Sermon    opens — the    island    which     for    the 

»  The  Sermon  was  printed  by  request  of  "all  the  Clergy  present,  "the  Commit- 
tee of  their  number  being  the  Rev.  Drs.  John  L.  Watson  (of  Boston)  and 
Thomas  M.  Clark  (the  late  Presiding  Bishop).  Among  those  who  listened 
to  it  was  Frederick  D.  Huntington,  then  Minister  of  a  Unitarian  congregation 
in  Boston,  who  has  in  later  years  spoken  of  that  sermon  as  having  no  slight 
influence  in  attracting  him  towards  the  Church  in  which  he  is  now  one  of  Bishop 
De  Lancey's  successors.  The  reader  of  that  delightful  book,  the  "  Reminis- 
cences" of  Bishop  Clark,  will  not  forget  his  brief  but  apt  characterization  of 
Bishop  De  Lancey,  as  the  "old-fashioned  Churchman  of  the  Hobart  School, 
courteous  and  attractive  in  his  demeanour,  an  accomplished  scholar,  a  winning 
and  interesting  preacher,  and  2.  true  man." 


156  Diocese    of  Western  New  York 

Beloved  Disciple's  sake  is  now  "  so  deep  in  the  memory,  and  so 
attractive  to  the  thoughts  of  the  followers  of  Christ,"  which  is  "  among 
the  objects  of  Christian  childhood's  early  researches,"  which  "the 
trembling  finger  of  age  points  out  with  interest,  and  even  the  busy  and 
stern  mind  of  world-devoted  manhood"  instinctively  regards  as  "a 
sacred  spot,  when  eye  or  ear  receives  the  impress  of  its  name." 

"In  this  far-ofif  land,  we  are  convened  to  witness  the  commission- 
irig  by  those  who,  according  to  the  will  of  Christ,  have  authority  for 
the  same,  of  one  who,  though  centuries  roll  between  the  periods,  as 
oceans  roll  between  the  spots,  is  to  sustain  the  same  responsible  min- 
istry, which  was  exercised  by  the  Angels  of  the  several  Churches  of 
the  Apocalypse.  Not  more  appropriately  to  the  Angel,  the  Messen- 
ger, the  Bishop  of  the  Church  of  Smyrna,  than  to  you,  my  Rever- 
end Brother  about  to  enter  upon  the  same  ofifice,  could  the  inspired 
exhortation  of  the  text  and  its  heart-stirring  promise  be  addressed. 
As  from  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  High  comes  this  day  to 
you  the  Divine  assurance,  '  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will 
give  thee  a  crown  of  life.' 

"  The  Faithful  Bishop,  then,  in  his  Office,  his  Character,  and 
his  Reward,  shall  constitute  the  subject  of  this  discourse.  May  the 
Spirit,  which  dictated  the  words  of  the  text,  seal  its  lessons  on  our 
hearts  !"* 

He  cannot  hope  that  his  treatment  of  the  subject  will  correspond 
with  the  views  of  all  who  hear  it,  but  he  does  not  allow  himself  on 
account  of  this  diversity  of  views  to  ' '  withhold  or  conceal  any  portion 
of  Gospel  truth  upon  this  topic,"  in  the  hope  that  his  words  may  be 
"  received  and  weighed,  not  in  the  scales  of  prejudice  or  feeling,  but 
in  those  of  truth  and  fact." 

Then  he  sets  forth,  first,  the  Office  of  a  Bishop, — as  defined  by 
Hooker,  as  received  by  four-fifths  at  least  of  the  Church  of  this  day, 
as  acknowledged  by  the  whole  Church  for  centuries  before  the  Refor- 
mation, as  disclosed  in  the  earliest  records  of  Christian  history,  and 
as  distinctly  presented  to  our  view  on  the  pages  of  Holy  Scripture  ; 
and  answers  various  objections  (too  familiar  to  need  specifying  here). 
Then,  secondly,  he  sums  up  the  Character  in  one  word,  "fidelity"  : 
to  the  doctrine  of  Christ  as  taught  in  the  Church,  as  untouched  by  all 
the  "refinement,  learning  or  philosophy"  of  present  times,  setting 
forth  especially  in  this  connection  the  Divine  obligation  and  power  of 
the  Word  and  the  Sacraments  as  indispensable  to  spiritual  life, — to 
the  "order  and  purity  of  the  prescribed  worship  of  the  Church," — 
to  cherishing  among  his  Clergy  "anxiety  for  the  souls  of  men,"  and 

*  The  Bishop  invariably  added  some  such  "Invocation  "  as  this,  after  announc- 
ing the  subject  (which  he  almost  always  called  "Topic")  and  divisions  of  his 
discourse. 


"The  Faithful  Bishop"  157 

fearlessness  in  teaching  in  all  questions  of  faith  and  duty, — to  arouse 
and  extend  among  the  Laity  a  conviction  of  the  inrtuence  they  must 
exert  for  or  against  the  Gospel  and  the  Church, — and  finally  "faith- 
fulness to  his  own  soul,"  remembering  that  "no  solicitude  for  others 
can  exempt  him  from  the  obligations  of  holiness  or  the  use  of  the 
means  of  grace.  And  lastly,  his  Reward  is  that  which  "the  tongue 
of  man  may  announce,  but  whose  import  the  intellect  of  an  angel  only 
can  conceive," — a  "Crown  of  Life." 

And  he  ends  with  earnest  application  of  these  truths  to  the  Bishop 
elect,  and  the  venerable  Presiding  Bishop  whose  co-adjutor  he  became, 
only  two  months,  as  it  was  ordered,  before  that  good  man  was  taken 
to  his  rest. 

I  have  given  this  outline  more  at  length  than  might  seem  needful, 
because  it  is  a  fair  specimen,  though  one  of  the  best,  of  Bishop 
De  Lancey's  ordinary  preaching, — too  ornate  and  rhetorical,  no 
doubt,  for  the  taste  of  the  present  day.  but  full  of  a  living  eloquence 
which  no  change  of  time  and  customs  can  quite  take  away. 


CHAPTER    XXVI 


THE   OXFORD    MOVEMENT:    CLERICAL    SUPPORT 


IE  now  enter  on  a  new  aspect  of  Bishop  De  Lancey's 
Episcopate,  by  no  means  as  bright  and  pleasant  in  all 
respects  as  those  whose  story  has  been  told,  but  wit- 
nessing no  less  to  his  wisdom  and  faithfulness  in  the 
charge  laid  upon  him. 
I  have  quoted  on  p.  146  above,  the  remark  in  his  Address  of  1841, 
that  ' '  the  controversy  about  the  Oxford  Tracts  had  penetrated  this 
Diocese  to  a  very  limited  extent."  This  was  six  months  after  the 
publication  of  Tract  No,  90,  and  yet  the  Bishop's  statement  remained 
true  for  nearly  two  years  more.  The  reason  was  that  the  Diocese 
as  a  whole  had  been  for  many  years  steadily,  and  almost  unconsciously, 
growing  into  an  understanding  and  hearty  acceptance  of  "  Church 
principles  ' '  substantially  as  they  were  set  forth  by  the  earlier  Oxford 
Tracts,  which  dealt  mainly,  it  will  be  remembered,  with  the  funda- 
mental question  of  the  Church  as  a  Divinely  constituted  Body,  with  a 
Ministry  of  Apostolic  origin  and  authority.  In  the  earliest  days  of 
the  century,  the  days  of  Bishop  Provoost  and  Bishop  Moore,  New 
York  had  been  what  might  be  called  an  old-fashioned  "  Evangelical" 
Diocese,  half-way,  one  might  say,  between  Connecticut  (under  Bishop 
Seabury)  on  the  one  hand,  and  Virginia  with  its  establishmentarian 
traditions  on  the  other.  With  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Hobart  had 
begun  a  new  awakening  not  only  of  Church  life  but  of  doctrine  ;  and 
not  among  the  clergy  alone,  but  with  the  more  earnest  and  intelligent 
members  of  many  a  country  parish,  from  whose  own  lips  I  have  heard 
the  story  of  the  abiding  impression  made  on  them  by  the  teaching  of 
Bishop  Hobart 's  memorable  Address  of  1822,  on  "departure  from 
the  Apostolic  mode  of  propagating  Christianity,  by  the  separation  of 
the  sacred  volume  (the  Bible)  from  the  Ministry,  the  Ordinances,  and 
the  Worship  of  that  Mystical  Body  which  its  Divine  founder  has  con- 
stituted the  mean  and  pledge  of  salvation  to  the  world."* 

Of  course  this  advance  in  Church  principles  was  not  true  of  all  the 


*Joum.  N.  Y.  1822,  p.  ^^. 


TnK  Carey  Ordinatidn.  1843  159 

clergy  any  more  than  of  the  laymen,  and  it  did  to  a  certain  extent 
divide  them  into  parties,  as  the  election  of  Bishop  Dc  Lancey  has 
shown  ;  but  up  to  this  time  (1843)  with  little  strong  feeling  and  no 
apparent  violence  of  party  spirit.  There  is  no  question  that  the  silent 
influence  of  the  Gospel  Afesse?igt'r,  which  was  the  Sunday  reading  of 
most  families  in  every  parish,  added  greatly  both  to  the  influence  of 
"Bishop  Hobart"  Churchmanship  and  the  freedom  from  controversy. 
People  gladly  accepted  its  teaching,  which  was  substantially  and  often 
literally  that  of  the  earlier  "  Tracts,"  because  they  so  thoroughly 
liked  its  spirit  and  its  way  of  '*  putting  things." 

But  with  the  summer  of  1843  the  Church  throughout  the  country 
was  in  a  blaze,  so  to  speak,  over  the  ordination  of  a  young  Deacon, 
Arthur  Carey,  by  the  Bishop  of  New  \ork,  against  the  protest  of  two 
Priests  of  his  Diocese  on  the  ground  of  "  Romanizing  "  views  held  by 
the  candidate.  Reading  over  again,  after  sixty  years,  the  thick  vol- 
ume of  pamphlets  through  which  the  battle  was  fought,  it  is  hard  to 
realize  that  good  and  able  men  could  have  so  entangled  themselves  in 
misunderstanding  not  only  of  the  questions  at  issue  but  of  one  another. 
The  eight  examiners  of  the  Candidate  were  William  Berrian,  John 
M'Vickar, Samuel  Seabury,  Joseph  H.  Price.  Edward  Y.  Iligbee,  Ben- 
jamin I.  Haight,  Henry  Anthon,  and  Hugh  Smith — everyone  of  them 
known  for  many  years  afterwards  as  faithful,  consistent,  and  certainly 
very  moderate  Churchmen.  The  first  six  stood  by  the  Bishop,  the 
last  two  in  opposition  :  and  their  public  protest — an  unprecedented 
thing  in  this  country,  as,  with  this  exception,  it  is  to  this  day — 
kindled  a  flame  of  excitement  almost  inconceivable  now,  fanned  to  the 
utmost  by  the  secular  and  sectarian  papers  all   over  the  land.*     The 

*  It  is  impossible,  of  course,  to  go  into  the  merits  of  this  controversy  here, 
even  if  it  had  more  than  a  historical  interest  for  the  Church  of  this  day.  But  it 
may  be  said  that  Mr.  Carey  (who  had  been  several  years  a  Sunday  School  teacher 
under  Dr.  Smith,  and  therefore  had  asked  for  his  testimonials  for  Orders  from 
him),  after  passing  all  his  canonical  examinations,  submitted  to  a  private  exami- 
nation of  his  "  opinions"  by  Drs.  Smith  and  Anthon,  whose  own  notes,  singularly 
inconsistent  with|_fuller  statements  subsequently  made  at  the  special  examination 
ordered  by  the  Bishop  in  consequence  of  their  objections,  and  with  the  whole 
tenor  of  Mr.  Carey's  views  as  given  shortly  after  the  Ordination,  formed  the  basis 
of  the  whole  newspaper  and  pamphlet  controversy  ;  and,  sadder  still,  of  the  deep- 
seated  hostility  to  Bishop  Onderdonk  which  was  unquestionably  a  factor  in  the 
celebrated  "  Trial  "  of  the  next  year.  One  may  reach  such  conclusions,  1  hope, 
without  being  a  partizan  either  of  the  Deacon  or  of  theBishop. 


i6o  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

assailing  party  had  naturally  the  advantage  in  every  country  parish  in 
which  it  was  talked  over,  so  long  as  the  panic  was  at  its  height ;  as  it 
subsided,  the  defenders  of  the  Bishop  regained  their  strength  and  con- 
fidence, but  with  the  unhappy  result  of  a  crystallization  of  Church 
parties  such  as  Western  New  York  had  never  yet  known.  Households 
were  divided  and  friendships  broken  over  this  quarrel  to  an  extent  that 
seems  hardly  credible  now,  and  the  nickname  (as  Bishop  De  Lancey 
emphatically  called  it)  of  "  Puseyite  "  became  a  formidable  weapon 
for  many  years. 

The  most  serious  result  of  all  this  was  the  mistrust  and  alienation 
in  many  places  of  the  parishioners  towards  their  Pastors.  On  this 
point  only,  the  Bishop  spoke  strongly  in  his  Address  of  1843,  and  his 
words  must  be  given  in  full. 

' '  In  the  continued  soundness  and  devotedness  of  the  clergy  of  the 
Diocese  generally,  their  steady  adherence  to  and  faithful  inculcation 
of  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Cross,  as  embodied  in  the  Liturgy, 
Articles  and  Homilies,  I  fully  confide.  Subjected  as  we  all  are  to 
sweeping  charges  of  error, secret  aspersions  and  virulent  assaults,  under 
a  title  of  injurious  fame  ["  Puseyite"].  yet,  in  my  wide  intercourse 
with  the  clergy  of  the  Diocese,  I  know  of  no  one  among  them,  who 
does  not,  in  maintaining  the  cause  of  Christ  and  His  Church,  dis- 
tinctly repudiate  the  errors  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  with  as 
full  and  unqualified  rejection  of  its  usurped  suprem.acy,  and  its  errors 
of  doctrine  and  practice,  as  does  the  Church  itself,  her  long  list  of 
protestant  martyrs,  and  the  humble  individual  who  speaks  as  the 
Chief  Shepherd  over  you  in  the  Lord  ;  and  when  attempts  are  made 
from  without,  and  fears  excited  within,  calculated  to  fix  upon  the 
Clergy  an  opprobrious  name,  carrying  in  the  intent  with  which  it  is 
used,  a  far  different  meaning,  it  is  a  demand  which  they  have  on 
their  Bishop,  knowing  as  he  does  their  prevailing  views,  and  faithful 
adherence  to  the  doctrinal  standards  of  the  Church,  in  her  Creed  and 
Articles,  to  claim  for  them,  as  a  body,  the  continued  confidence  and 
affectionate  regard  of  the  laity,  as  faithful  Ministers  of  the  Cross  and 
Church  of  Christ.  The  obvious  and  deplorable  ignorance  of  many 
who  assail  the  Church  in  regard  to  the  most  important  points  of 
Christian  truth  and  order,  and  their  frequent  and  indiscriminate  mix- 
ture of  sound  Gospel  truth  and  Church  doctrine  with  Romish  error 
and  even  infidel  sentiment  as  the  object  of  attack,  should   convince 


Mr.  Carey  died  April  4,  1844,  after  a  few  months  of  faithful  work  as  Deacon  in 
the  Church  of  the  Annunciation,  New  York.  It  is  only  fair  to  say  that  he  was 
regarded  by  every  one  who  knew  him  as  a  young  man  of  exemplary  character  and 
life,  sincere,  modest,  and  deeply  religious. 


The  Cakey  Ordination  i6i 

the  laity  of  the  utter  incapacity  of  many  of  her  assailants  to  form  a 
right  judgment  of  her  position  and  prospects  ;  should  inspire  them 
with  a  firmer  contidence  in  the  long-tried  guides  by  whom  they  have 
hitherto  been  led  in  the  ways  of  truth  and  peace  ;  and.  let  me  add, 
should  stir  them  up  to  *  read,  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest  '  the 
great  truths  of  (]od's  blessed  Word,  as  openly  and  broadly  presented 
to  their  eyes  and  minds  in  the  Liturgy,  Creed,  Articles  and  Homilies 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church."  * 

The  Bishop  also  expressed  his  entire  confidence  in  the  Faculty  and 
management  of  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  which  was  at  this 
time  a  special  object  of  attack,  partly  at  least  on  account  of  Bishop 
Onderdonk's  position  in  it  as  Professor  of  the  "  Nature,  Ministry  and 
Polity  of  the  Church."  A  Committee  was  appointed  on  his  recom- 
mendation to  report  suggestions  to  secure  for  the  Seminary  '•  a  wider 
confidence  and  patronage  in  the  Diocese  ;"  but  their  report  of  the  next 
year  left  the  subject  in  the  hands  of  the  General  Convention.! 

While  the  tone  of  the  Bishop's  Address  left  no  doubt  whatever  as 
to  his  position  as  a  Churchman,  it  awakened  no  discussion  in  the  Con- 
vention, of  which  the  Messenger  says  that  "  its  quietness,  decency  and 
order  seldom  witnessed  in  so  large  a  body,  was  not  the  quietness  of 
apathy  and  unconcern  for  the  cause  of  genuine  Christianity,  for  we 
have  on  no  similar  occasion  seen  more  emotion  ;"  its  deliberations 
were  conducted  in  so  chastened  and  peaceful  a  manner  that  "  not  a 
word  of  unkindness  or  indication  of  ill-temper  had  been  seen  or 
heard  ; ' '  and  this  "  at  a  time  when  all  around  us  were  spread  the 
most  painful  proofs  of  restlessness  and  disruption,"  till  ••  it  seemed 
as  if  the  very  elements  of  the  Church  were  upturned  from  their  foun- 
dation." '•  The  Benediction  followed,  and  the  common  word  of 
parting  was  •  What  a  blessed  time.'  God  grant  many  ages  of  just 
such  times  in  the  Councils  of  His  Church. "J 

From  which  it  would  seem  that  Western  New  York  was  more  •'  at 
unity  with  itself"  than  the  Church  in  most  parts  of  the  country 
could  be  said  to  be  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1843. 

Turning  aside  for  a  moment  from  this  controversy,  I  find  in  the 
Messenger  a  little  later  a  letter  from  the  Bishop  which  1  quote  not 
only  as  an  evidence  of  his  deep  interest  in  the  work  and  trials  of  his 

*Joum.  1843,  p.  35. 
t  Joum.  1844,  p.  43. 
I  Gospel  Messenger,   XVII.  123.  (Aug.  26,   1S43.) 


1 62  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Clergy,  but  of  the  actual  conditions  in  which  they  ministered  in  some 
parts  of  the  Diocese.  It  consists  mainly  of  extracts  from  letters 
received  by  him  within  a  few  days  from  several  Missionaries  of  the 
Diocese.     One  says  : 

"  Since  I  have  been  here,  I  have  received  a  salary  of  $60  in  store 
goods,  and  two  or  three  bills  of  the  lightest  and  least  valuable  farm- 
ers' produce,  such  as  most  clergymen  receive  as  a  gratuity.  I  have 
paid  $50  for  house-rent,  bought  all  my  bread-stuff,  nearly  all  the 
animal  food,  paid  tuition  fees,  etc.,  without  receiving  any  mo?iey  from 
the  parish.  Situated  as  I  am,  with  a  dreary  winter  before  me,  if  the 
decision  [/.  e.,  of  a  reduction  of  Missionary  stipend]  could  be  altered 
at  least  till  spring,  I  should  be  happy." 

Another  writes  that  the  principal  members  are  doubtful  whether 
they  can  maintain  full  services  beyond  spring,  even  by  considerably 
increasing  their  contributions,  as  they  can  raise  at  most  but  $275  at 
present. 

A  third  had  hoped  that  the  deficient  half  of  his  missionary  stipend 
might  be  made  up  by  the  people,  but  finds  it  will  all  come  upon  him- 
self ;  that  $50  of  his  salary  is  behind,  and  that  he  must  consent  to 
have  it  reduced  $75  more  or  leave  the  church  to  its  fate  ;  that  there 
is  a  mortgage  of  $400  on  which  foreclosure  is  threatened. 

A  fourth,  that  the  reduction  to  a  half  stipend  must  be  "  from  igno- 
rance of  the  poverty  of  the  people  ;  if  the  stipend  cannot  be  restored 
he  must  absolutely  leave." 

A  fifth,  that  he  has  been  living  for  some  time  on  half  a  salary  ;  if 
the  stipend  be  continued  one  year  longer,  they  can  get  on,  for  with 
it  \_i.  e.,  a  full  stipend  of  $125]  they  can  raise  $400.  It  is  not  "  a 
bed  of  roses." 

A  sixth,  that  he  can  accept  a  call  to  a  parish,  if  the  missionary  sti- 
pend can  be  allowed  ;  there  is  a  favourable  opening  of  which  he  should 
be  glad  to  avail  himself,  but  all  depends  on  the  stipend. 

A  seventh,  that  $200  only  is  subscribed  for  the  year,  and  it  cannot 
be  made  more  than  $300.  He  does  not  see  how  they  can  get  along 
without  the  stipend. 

"  Are  not  such  statements,"  says  the  Bishop,  "ample  warrant  for 
the  urgency  with  which  I  press  our  Diocesan  Missions  on  the  hearts 
and  consciences  of  the  people  ?  I  could  fill  column  after  column  of 
your  paper  with  similar  appeals.  And  what  answer  are  we  forced  to 
send  back  to  these  applicants  ?  The  painful  one  that  we  have  reduced 
the  stipend  for  the  want  of  means  to  continue  it  ;  and  that  the  same 
dismal  necessity  forbids  us  to  restore  it.  The  appeals  of  our  Vestries 
in  behalf  of  their  clergymen  are  in  the  same  strain  of  urgency."* 

There  is  a  very  general  feeling  at  the  present  day,  that  the  clergy 

*  Gospel  Messenger,    XVII.  176. 


Support  of  the  Clergy  163 

of  one  or  two  generations  back  were  after  all  not  so  badly  off, 
with  very  different  habits  of  livinj;  among  all  classes  of  people, 
with  provisions  at  half  the  present  rates,  with  "donations" 
and  personal  gifts  of  one  kind  and  another  in  quantity  and  fre- 
quency such  as  is  not  thought  of  now-a-days  in  the  generality 
of  parishes.  All  this  is  true, — in  a  fe7v  exceptional  cases.  In 
many  country  parishes  of  the  middle  of  the  last  century  (I  speak  from 
personal  knowledge  of  some  cases)  $500  a  year  in  cash  with  a  rectory 
and  without  a  •'  donation  "  was  a  modest  competence  ;  $600  a  year 
with  house  and  donation  was  wealth.  I  could  tell  of  one  country 
parson,  able  and  faithful,  who  lived  for  years  in  a  large  and  by  no 
means  poor  country  parish  on  ;>4oo  (one-third  of  it  "turned"  on 
"  store  accounts  ")  and  a  house,  with  a  donation  ;  of  another,  who, 
living  on  S3 2 5  and  house-rent  wit/iout  a  donation,  said  that  if  he 
were  ever  fortunate  enough  to  get  a  parish  with  $500  and  a  rectory, 
he  would  never  ask  an}i;hing  more  as  long  as  he  lived.  (He  got  it  a 
year  later,  and  counted  it  a  competence  for  six  years.)  It  is  to  be 
noted  that  the  small  incomes  of  the  clergy  were  often  made  smaller 
by  two  customs  which  have  happily  passed  away  ;  the  year's  credit 
on  which  country  "  stores  "  tried  to  sustain  themselves,  to  their  own 
eventual  ruin  as  well  as  that  of  many  of  their  customers,  and  the  habit 
of  paying  in  kind,  whether  of  farm  products  or  "  store-goods,"  both 
often  unfairly  over-rated.  In  all  these  ways  many  of  the  clergy  and 
their  families  were  sufferers  to  an  extent  which  it  is  difficult 
to  realize  or  even  believe  at  this  day.  In  1854  the  Bishop  endeav- 
oured to  remedy  in  some  measure  this  state  of  things,  by  making 
Thanksgiving  Day  (then  better  observed  than  now)  a  "Donation 
Day"  for  the  Clergy.  His  Pastoral  Letter  was  well  received,  and  in 
many  places  did  much  good  ;  in  some,  its  effect  continues  to  this  day. 
But  in  others  the  old  Adam  was  too  strong  for  this  work  of  grace.  I 
remember  one  parish  in  which  the  clergyman's  salary  depended  on  a 
subscription,  yfz'^  dollars  oi  w-hich  came  from  one  of  the  wealthiest 
families,  where  the  wife,  a  communicant,  had  an  income  of  her  own. 
At  the  "Thanksgiving"  of  1854  she  sent  the  Rector  half-a-cord  of 
soft  wood,  some  butter  and  potatoes  and  other  things.  Long  after, 
the  Treasurer  of  the  parish  called  for  her  over-due  subscription, 
which  she  claimed  to  have  paid.  The  venerable  Senior  Warden  was 
sent  to  expostulate  with   her,  and   to  him  she  explained  that  she  con- 


164  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

sidered  herself  to  have  paid  her  subscription  in  her  "donation,"  and 
"if  ministers'  families  could  not  live  on  their  salaries,  they  must  work 
as  she  did."  Of  course  this  was  an  extreme  case,  (it  was  the  one, 
by  the  way,  where  the  Rector  and  his  family  lived  on  $325  and  a 
house,)  but  there  were  too  many  approaching  to  it.  The  truth  is  simply 
that  the  average  countryman,  whether  brought  up  a  "Connecticut 
Churchman"  or  an  ultra-Protestant,  had  never  been  taught  any  rule 
of  Christian  giving  as  the  fruit  of  a  principle  of  Christian  living. 
There  were  many  noble  exceptions  ;  there  were  Western  New  York 
parishes  which  gave  more,  I  believe,  in  proportion  to  their  means, 
than  they  do  now  ;  but  that  does  not  do  away  with  the  fact  that  they 
were  for  the  most  part  "low  and  slow"  Churchmen  in  this  respect. 
A  word  about  the  "  donation  "  of  past  days  may  have  some  inter- 
est. For  four  years  in  the  "sixties"  the  writer  was  Rector  (and 
"  Missionary  ")  in  a  delightful  Oneida  county  hamlet  ("and  parts 
adjacent  ")  of  some  300  souls,  with  five  congregations  (two  of  them 
Welsh)  besides  "  S.  Paul's,"  which  had  never  more  than  45  commu- 
nicants, and  was  practically  maintained  by  five  or  six  families  ;  De 
Angelis,  Allen,  Clark,  Wetmore,  Thomas  and  Hamlin  are  names 
never  to  be  forgotten  there.  This  handful  of  people,  none  of  them 
more  than  well-to-do,  gave  about  $2,000  for  the  support  and  building 
up  of  the  Church  each  one  of  those  years.  One  man — a  busy  coun- 
try "  merchant  " — denied  himself  in  such  things  as  clothes  and 
travelling,  to  give  $600  out  of  an  income  of  $1,500,  besides  acting 
as  chorister,  Sunday  School  teacher,  sexton,  and  later  as  lay-reader. 
Another  gave  $150  out  of  $600.  The  "  donation  "  was  a  time-hon- 
oured institution  in  all  the  village  congregations,  but,  exceptm.  S.  Paul's, 
it  was  credited  on  the  minister'' s  salary.  Shortly  after  Christmas  each 
year,  the  parishioners,  and  all  others  who  chose,  gathered  at  the 
Rectory,  of  which  several  ladies  (of  the  above-named  families)  took 
possession  for  the  evening,  and,  of  course,  prepared  a  bounteous  and 
well-ordered  feast.  There  was  much  merriment,  but  no  disorder  ; 
and  no  visible  sign  (to  the  inmates  of  the  Rectory)  of  an}i;hing  like 
"  donations,"  till  the  next  morning,  when  about  $200  was  quietly 
handed  to  the  Rector.  It  must  be  admitted  that  as  a  matter  of  par- 
ish finance,  the  "  donation  "  was  of  questionable  utility  ;  for  proba- 
bly nine-tenths  of  all  the  gifts  in  money,  and  all  the  provision  for  the 
*'  supper,"  came  from  those  who  were  already  the   largest  and  most 


DONAIIONS  l6c 

regular  contributors  to  the  Church,  and  the  "outsiders  "  were  abun- 
dantly repaid  in  the  festivity  of  the  occasion.  But  it  was  a  delightful 
reunion  for  all  the  parishioners,  and  certainly  a  very  nice  thing  for  the 
clergyman,  with  whom  it  was  no  matter  of  stipulation,  but  over  and 
above  a  fair  salary  for  those  days  ($600  and  rectory)  paid  with  abso- 
lute promptness  quarterly  in  advance,  and  accompanied  with  almost 
weekly  gifts  in  "  kind  "  from  one  or  another  of  those  families.  I 
can  hardly  suppose  that  there  were  many  rural  parishes  so  well 
ordered  and  so  generous  as  this  ;  but  one  may  hope  that  it  was  by  no 
means  a  solitary  instance  of  the  best  side  of  what  is  now  an  almost 
forgotten  custom.  I  ought  perhaps  to  add  that  this  was  mostly  "  dur- 
ing the  War;"  that  nearly  every  family  (except  the  Rector's)  had 
from  two  to  sixty  cows,  and  butter  was  from  forty  to  fifty  cents  a 
pound  ;*  that  beef  could  be  had  in  winter  only  by  the  "  quarter," 
and  milk  all  the  year  round  only  by  special  favour  ;  but  this,  after  all, 
takes  verj'  little  from  the  positive  side.  I  hope  the  reader  will  par- 
don my  telling  this  long  story  of  one  little  parish  ;  he  has  no  idea 
how  much  I  have  left  untold. 


*  And  many  a  farmer  was  devoured  by  his  own  covetousness ;  I  remember  one 
who,  in  the  last  year  of  the  Civil  War,  refused  half  a  dollar  a  pound  for  his 
whole  dairy,  and  finally,  to  the  delight  of  everybody  but  himself,  sold  it  for  half 
that  price.  Per  contra,  a  "  donation  "  for  two  soldiers'  widows  supposed  to  be  in 
want,  brought  them  SSoo,  more  money  than  they  had  ever  seen  in  all  their  lives. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

''WHAT    IS    NOT   PUSEYISM":     CONSECRATION   AT 

GENEVA,  1844 

ATE  in  the  year  1843,  Bishop  De  Lancey  pubHshed  in 
the  Gospel  Messenger  an  article  which  he  afterwards 
incorporated  in  his  Address  of  1846,  and  which  at  once 
attracted  wide  notice.     It  is  entitled 

"WHAT    IS    NOT  PUSEYISM." 

Referring  to  the  confusion  ' '  in  the  minds  of  many  pious  persons 
in  the  Church"  occasioned  by  "  the  discussions  about  Puseyism," 
he  thinks  ' '  it  may  be  useful  to  state  some  doctrines  and  usages  long 
embedded  in  the  faith  and  judgment  of  Churchmen,  to  which  the 
offensive  term  in  question  does  not  apply." 

And  then,  in  very  clear  and  forcible  language,  he  specifies  twenty- 
two  particulars  in  which  "  the  Church  held  and  practised,  the  Prayer 
Book  embodied  and  sanctioned,  and  the  Ministry  maintained  and 
acted  on  "  the  views  set  forth,  "  long  before  Dr.  Pusey  was  born." 
These  are,  briefly,  Episcopacy ;  Apostolic  Succession  ;  Baptismal 
Regeneration  ;  the  Inward  Grace  of  the  Sacraments  ;  the  Presence 
of  Christ  in  the  Holy  Eucharist  as  (i)  Spiritual  (as  opposed  to  Tran- 
substantiation)  and  (2)  Real  (as  opposed  to  "  a  memorial  in  which 
Christ  is  present  only  as  we  think  of  and  pray  to  him  ");  the  three- 
fold Ministry  as  Apostolic  ;  Justification  (i)  by  the  Merits  of  Christ, 
(2)  by  faith,  (3)  by  the  conditions  of  faith,  repentance  and  obedience, 
and  (4)  SacraiTientally  by  Baptism  ;  Holy  Scripture  as  interpreted  by 
the  Primitive  Church  ;  Salvation  by  the  appointed  means  of  grace, 
not  by  "  revivals  "  and  other  methods  of  man's  devising  and  modern 
origin  ;  Obedience  of  Clergy  and  Laity  to  the  Rubrics  and  Canons 
of  the  Church  ;  the  preaching  fully  and  faithfully  "  the  nature,  claims, 
rights  and  prerogatives  of  the  Church  of  Christ ; "  and  also  the  superior 
value  of  the  Liturgy,  and  of  Forms  of  Prayer  both  in  public  offices  and 
private  devotions;  to  defend  the  use  of  the  Cross  in  the  ornamenting  of  our 
Churches  or  our  houses  ;*  to  combine  architectural  variety  and  ritual 
adaptation  in  "  the  interior  arrangements  of  our  churches  ;"  to  "  use 
the  surplice  and  gown,  regarding  the  former  as  more  distinctly  a 
Church  vestment  ;"  to  bow  at  the  Name  of  Jesus  in  the  Creed  ;  to 


*  To  which  he  adds  a  foot-note  on  the  then  universal  use  of  the   Cross  in  the 
panelling  of  doors  in  houses  throughout  the  country. 


What  is  Not  Pusevism  167 

open  the  Church  for  Saints'  Days,  or  Litany  Days,  or  every  clay  for 
the  daily  Service  of  the  Prayer  Book  ;  to  observe  the  seasons  of  pri- 
vate Fastin-;  and  Prayer  ;  to  sustain  Church  Missions.  Schools  and 
Colle-jes  instead  of  "amalgamaling  with  our  brethren  of  surrounding 
sects  in  such  matters  ;"  to  refuse  to  canonize  Henry  VIII  and  Luther 
and  deny  Laud  the  crown  of  Martyrdom  ;  to  "  love  the  Church. 
uphold  her  holy  claims,  not  to  be  lured  from  her  sanctuaries  or  min- 
istry-, and  to  believe  that  God  can  preserve  her  truth  and  her  integrity 
without  our  feeble  arm  stretched  out  with  Hashing  sword  for  her  defence'; 
finally,  for  the  Ministry-  to  preach  the  Word  not  as  pleasing  men,  but 
God  who  trieth  our  hearts,  and  for  the  people  to  remember  them  who 
have  the  rule  over  them." 

Such  is  a  most  imperfect  but  I  believe  faithful  summary  of  this 
remarkable  article,  which  may  be  read  in  full  in  the  journal  of  1846, 
pp.  42-6.* 

The  effect  of  the  paper  was  great  and  permanent  ;  furnishing  to 
many  a  perplexed  layman  a  point  (/\j/>/>ui  in  reply  to  the  accustomed 
sneer,  ''Vou  ask  what  is  Puseyism  ?  that  shows  you're  a  Puseyite." 
He  could  at  least  say, "I  know  what  is  not  Puseyism." 

In  January,  1844.  the  Bishop  took  upon  himself  the  pastoral  charge 
of  S.  Paul's  Church.  Rochester  (which,  in  consequence  of  financial 
embarrassment,  had  been  re-organized  as  "Grace  Church."  a  name 
which  the  parish  retained  to  1870),  and  the  proprietorship  of  the 
church  building,  which  had  been  sold  under  the  foreclosure  of  a  mort- 
gage. He  did  not,  however,  take  up  his  residence  in  Rochester,  as 
he  had  at  first  intended,  but  gave  frequent  services  during  the  year, 
placing  the  pastoral  work  in  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  John  V.  Van 
Ingen,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Piatt.  This  "burden  of 
anxiety  and  responsibility"  the  Bishop  carried  for  three  years,  finally 
transferring  the  property  to  the  corporation  of  Grace  Church  with  the 
gift  of  the  payments  he  had  made  on  the  debt,  and  what  he  had  laid 
out  on  the  building.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Van  Ingen  became  the  Rector  of 
the  Parish  thus  saved  and  restored  to  prosperity,  "with  a  debt  of 
gratitude  for  the  gratuitous  care  and  kindness  of  the  Bishop  which 
can  never  be  forgotten."! 

*  His  Address  of  that  year  was  published  as  a  pamphlet,  !)ut  is  probably 
now  scarcer  than  the  Journal.  A  little  later  (».  e.,  in  1843)  he  answers  a 
request  from  a  Geneva  paper  to  say  what  is  Puseyism,  by  saying  that  it  is  simply 
a  nickname  and  therefore  indefinable. 

t  Joum.  1S44,  pp.  21,  71:  1S47,  p.  S3;  Gospel  Messew^r^,.^  Will.  3.  (Jan. 
27,  1844.) 


1 68  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Thursday,  August  15,  1844,  was  a  festival  day  for  the  Diocese  as 
well  as  the  Bishop,  in  the  consecration  of  the  new  Trinity  Church, 
Geneva.  I  give  the  account  of  the  service  as  it  appears  in  the  Messeft- 
ger  and  the  New  York  Churchman. 

"  Morning  Prayer  was  read  by  the  Rev.  Pierre  P.  Irving,  the  late 
Rector  of  the  parish,  assisted  in  the  Lessons  by  the  Rev.  John  B. 
Gallagher,  of  the  Diocese  of  Georgia.*  The  request  to  consecrate 
was  read  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hale  ;  the  sentence  of  consecration  by 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Cooke,  the  present  Rector.  The  Sermon  was 
preached  by  Bishop  B.  T.  Onderdonk.  Itwas  in  the  Bishop's  usually 
clear  and  edifying  language  and  manner.  His  allusion  to  his  own 
former  connection  with  the  Diocese,  his  participation  in  the  services 
which  consummated  the  division  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York,  in  the 
acts  of  the  Primary  Convention  which  assembled  on  the  same  spot  in 
1838,  was  well  calculated  to  call  up  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  many 
present,  the  most  solemn  and  lively  emotions  ;  but  when  he  spoke  of 
the  beautiful  and  magnificent  building,  and  of  the  munificent  pro- 
vision of  the  late  Hon.  Gideon  Lee,  whereby  so  much  important  aid 
has  been  given  in  this  noble  enterprise,  and  when  he  pointed  to  '  that 
noble  instrument,'  whose  notes  of  tenderness  and  power  had  traced 
the  hymns  and  anthems  of  the  morning,  and  when  he  pronounced  it 
'  the  fittest  monument '  to  the  memory  of  the  departed  benefactor, 
many  eyes  filled  with  tears.!  It  was  a  delightful  hour  and  scene  ; 
the  day  was  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  invigorating  kind.  There 
was  an  immense  assembly  ;  the  pews,  with  a  few  exceptions,  were 
entirely  filled  by  ladies,  and  gentlemen  were  obliged  to  stand  or  sit 
in  the  aisles  or  on  the  steps  of  the  chancel,  and  many  had  to  retire 
for  want  of  room.  Besides  the  clergy  already  named,  the  following 
were  present  and  mostly  in  their  robes  : ' ' 

William  Creighton,  D.D.  (N.  Y.),  William  Croswell, 

Bethel  Judd,  D.D.,  Edward  Bourns, 

John  C.  Rudd,  D.D.,  Benjamin  Franklin, 

R.  B.  Van  Kleeck  (N.  Y.),  Mason  Gallagher, 

Horace  Hills  (Conn.),  Isaac  Swart, 

Robert  G.  Co.xe  (Mich.),  Montgomery  Schuyler, 

Amos  G.  Baldwin,  Charles  H.  Piatt, 

Henry  Lockwood,  John  W.  Clark, 

EU  Wheeler,  Benjamin  W.  Stone. 

*  The  eldest  of  three  priestly  brothers  of  a  well-known  Geneva  family.  The 
others  were  Mason  (Hobart  Coll.  1S40,  d.  1897)  and  Peyton  (Hob.  1S46,  d.  1903), 
both  of  the  old  Diocese  of  Western  New  York. 

t  The  Hon.  Gideon  Lee,  a  member  of  the  Vestry,  who  died  Aug.  21,  1841, 
left  a  large  bequest  (^6,000)  for  the  church  ;  and  his  widow,  Isabel  (Williamson) 
Lee,  gave  the  organ,  providing  that  her  husband's  favourite  hymn,  "  I  would  not 
live  alway,"  should  be  sung  annually. 


TklMIN    ClllKl  H,  (IKNKVA 
Conserrated  1X44 


Trinity.  Gf,\f,va,    18^4  169 

The  writer  was  one  of  the  standing  congregation,  coming  in  some- 
what late  after  a  long  drive  from  his  Canandaigua  home.  The  grand 
church  and  the  throng  which  filled  it  were  sufficiently  impressive  to  a 
country  boy  who  had  never  seen  anything  like  them  ;  but  what  dwells 
chiefly  in  the  memory  is  the  great  "  reading-pew  "  on  one  side  with 
two  clergymen  in  it,  one  of  whom  was  reading  the  Lessons,  and  the 
steps  in  front  of  the  altar  rail  (which  projected  into  the  nave)  occupied 
by  several  others  in  surplices, — a  curious  contrast  to  later  customs. 

The  church  itself  is  little  changed  after  almost  sixty  years,  except 
by  the  addition  of  a  chancel  in  1898.  and  some  memorials  :  and  in 
spite  of  some  architectural  defects,  obvious  enough  to  one  who  looks 
for  them,  it  is  within  and  without  a  true  church,  deeply  impressive 
even  to  the  casual  visitor  for  its  solemn  beauty  and  its  fitness  for  wor- 
ship. The  designs  were  by  President  Hale,  (a  most  accomplished 
scholar  in  architecture,  whose  annual  lectures  on  that  subject  were 
the  delight  of  his  students,)  and  the  late  Third  Pointed  or  Perpendic- 
ular style  was  the  only  one  thought  of  at  that  day  ;  I  believe  that 
Trinity  Church  was  the  first  outside  of  New  York  in  which  it  was 
thoroughly  and  consistently  carried  out.*  The  stained-glass  which 
still  remains  in  all  except  the  two  memorial  windows, t  beautiful  in 
its  colour  and  clearness,  was  made  in  the  old  Geneva  glass-factory  of 
that  day  under  the  late  William  Steuben  De  Zeng. 

The  church  cost  in  all  somewhat  more  than  $30,000  (not 
including  the  organ),  a  very  large  sum  to  be  given  by  a  congregation 
of  less  than  200  communicants  in  a  village  of  less  than  5,000  inhab- 
itants. Unfortunately  it  was  not  all  given  at  once  ;  there  was  no 
requirement  then  of  freedom  from  debt  as  a  condition  of  consecra- 
tion, and  for  many  years  the  burden  of  indebtedness  was  a  great  hin- 
drance to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  parish. 

The  Seventh  Annual  Convention  was  held  in  Trinity  Church  a 
week  after  its  consecration.  The  Sermon  was  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Shelton.     The   Bishop's  Address  closes  with  some    remarks  on  the 


*  It  has  been  supposed  that  Dr.  Hale's  designs  were  in  a  general  way  copied 
from  some  English  Church.  I  have  found  no  evidence  of  this,  and  think  it  quite 
unlikely.  He  himself  told  me  that  "  he  was  responsible  for  the  design  of  the 
Church." 

t  The  altar  window,  in  memory  of  Bishop  De  Lancey,  and  an  aisle  window  in 
memory  of  Major  David  B.  Douglass,  both  added  later. 


170  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

disturbed  condition  of  the  Church  at   that   time  which  seem  to  me 
worth  giving  nearly  in  full. 

"It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  I  have  contemplated  without  deep 
interest  the  outward  assaults  and  inward  apprehensions  which  during 
the  last  year  have  agitated  the  Church.  When  stripped  of  their 
local,  personal  and  party  relations,  I  can  see  nothing,  as  the  real 
foundation  of  alarm,  in  either  direction,  and  no  reason  to  vary  the 
opinion  expressed  in  my  Address  of  last  year  as  to  the  soundness  of 
the  Church,  and  the  perpetuation  of  her  standards.  Everyday  as  it 
passes,  confirms  the  members  of  the  Church,  of  all  shades  of  opinion, 
in  their  attachment  to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  as  the  Rule  of  Faith,  and 
to  the  Prayer  Book  as  the  authorized  exposition  of  the  doctrines, 
polity  and  worship  to  be  maintained  by  our  branch  of  the  Holy 
Catholic  and  Apostolic  Church,  in  which  we  profess  in  the  Creed 
our  belief. 

"It  may  relieve  the  apprehensions  of  some  to  be  reminded  that 
there  have  always  been  three  classes  of  Churchmen  within  our  fold  ; 
Churchmen  from  education,  Churchmen  from  mere  preference,  and 
Churchmen  from  investigation  and  conviction. 

"  The  first  class  are  they  who,  born  of  Episcopal  parentage,  and 
nurtured  in  the  Church,  have  become  practically  and  habitually  attached 
to  her  system  ;  love  her  Prayer  Book  ;  attend  her  sanctuaries  ;  and 
care  not  to  know  other  systems,  or  to  associate  with  them  ;  and  bring 
up  their  children  to  walk  in  the  same  long-tried  and  quiet  paths.  Such 
persons  feel  little  interest  in  discussions  which  relate  to  fundamental 
points  of  difference  between  the  Church  and  others  ;  and,  satisfied  with 
the  system,  as  they  have  imbibed  it,  rather  repudiate  such  investiga- 
tions, and  like  not  to  insist  on  the  conclusions  to  which  they  seem  to 
lead. 

' '  The  second  class  are  they  who  have  entered  the  Church  on  grounds 
of  expediency  ;  who  have  tried  other  systems,  and  prefer  ours  ;  some, 
attracted  by  the  liturgy ;  some,  drawn  by  her  orderly  and  devout  ser- 
vices ;  some,  by  her  steady  ministrations  ;  some,  by  incidental  associ- 
ations with  her  children  ;  some,  by  her  repudiation  of  exciting  agen- 
cies and  reforming  schemes  ;  some,  by  her  steady  adherence  to  her 
principles  ;  and  some,  because  they  have  discovered  ample  reasons  for 
leaving  their  early  religious  associations,  in  real  or  supposed  injuries 
received.  Such  persons  have  found,  in  the  courts  of  the  Church, 
what  they  desired, — a  peaceful  Home,  where  they  can  worship,  praise 
and  pray  in  quietness  and  comfort, — and  with  this  they  are  content  ; 
postponing,  or  at  least  deeming  of  subordinate  consequence,  the 
enquiry  whether  indeed  '  her  foundations  are  upon  the  holy  hills,'  and 
whether  she  be  indeed  '  the  City  of  God.' 

"  The  third  class  comprises  such  as,  having  been  led  to  investigate 
the  principles  of  the  Church's  system,  have  adopted   it  as  matter  of 


Bishop's  Address,   1844  171 

duty  and  obligation  ;  resolving  the  whole  into  a  question  of  conscience, 
looking  at  the  Faith  and  the  Ministry  and  the  Sacraments  of  the  Gos- 
pel, through  the  Church  of  the  Oospel  ;  and,  with  their  eyes  and  their 
hearts  fixed  on  its  'One  Lord.  One  Faith,  One  Baptism,  One  God 
and  Father  of  us  all,'  they  shrink  from  whatever  appears  to  invade 
the  unity  of  the  Church,  whether  in  the  shape  of  unscriptural  concen- 
tration of  the  Papacy,  or  the  equally  unscriptural  expansion  by  sub- 
division and  excess,  of  the  Protestant  bodies  around  them. 

"  Recent  discussions  have  doubtless  greatly  increased  this  class  of 
Churchmen.  Churchmen  from  education  and  Churchmen  from  expedi- 
ency have  been  led  to  examine  the  points  at  issue  between  the  Church 
and  surrounding  systems.  The  tone  of  feeling  and  assault  without, 
and  the  discussions  within,  have  driven  them  back  upon  first  princi- 
ples. They  have  looked  into  the  deep  foundations  on  which  the 
Church  system  reposes  ;  and  have  found  that  it  is  built  not  on  the 
shifting  sands,  but  on  a  rock.  And  hence,  some  with  a  quiet  step, 
and  others  with  open  avowals  of  sentiment  and  the  energy  of  newly 
awakened  feelings  and  views,  have  ranged  themselves  on  the  distinct- 
ive ground  hitherto  unoccupied  by  them.  They  have  become  Church- 
men from  conviction  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  many,  from  sundry 
causes  and  influences,  have  remained  under  the  control  of  their  former 
opinions  ;  and  care  not  to  stand  on  higher  ground  than  personal 
attachment  to  the  Church  and  its  clear  expediency. 

"  Now  the  Church  has  always  held  within  her  ample  embrace  these 
three  classes  of  Churchmen  ;  and  been  subject  to  the  occasional 
agitation  arising  from  the  discussion  of  their  respective  grounds  of 
adherence  to  her  doctrines,  ministry  and  worship.  Neither  class  has 
hitherto  been  allowed  to  demand,  that  the  views  of  the  other  classes 
should  be  conformed  in  all  respects  to  its  own  ;  or  to  denounce,  and 
seek  to  expel  from  the  Church,  those  who,  receiving  the  same  Scrip- 
tures, the  same  Prayer  Book,  and  the  same  Creeds  and  Articles,  do 
yet  differ  in  regard  to  the  grounds  on  which  the  Church  system  rests, 
the  comparative  value  of  doctrines  or  institutions,  or  the  modes  of 
expounding  them.  Their  respective  views  and  opinions  have  been 
discussed  among  themselves  with  more  or  less  zeal,  but  still  in  entire 
consistency  with  the  united  adherence  of  all  classes  to  the  Church. 
As  seen  from  without,  such  discussions  would  seem  to  portend 
division  and  disunion  ;  and  hence,  from  that  quarter,  come  frequent 
predictions  and  earnest  expectations  of  a  fall.  But  as  the  Great  Head 
of  the  Church  has  hitherto  overruled  these  differences  of  opinion,  so 
that  union  has  not  been  broken  ;  as  all  parties  are  equally  firm  in 
their  adherence  to  the  Bible  as  the  Supreme  Rule  of  Faith,  and  to  the 
Prayer  Book  with  its  Creeds  and  Articles  and  Liturgy  as  the  Standard 
of  doctrines  ;  as  the  same  classes  have  hitherto  neither  desired  nor 
aimed  to  exclude  each  other  from  the  bosom  of  the  Church  ;   as   all 


172  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

classes  feel  the  pressure,  arising  from  assaults  without,  and  have  been 
taught,  by  observation  of  others,  the  sad  effects  of  ecclesiastical  dis- 
ruption ;  so  we  may  believe  most  firmly,  that  the  excitements  and 
agitations  in  the  Church  will  be  withheld  from  producing  separation  ; 
and  that  the  wave  of  commotion,  which  has  carried  the  Church  upon 
its  swelling  bosom  to  such  a  height,  is  fast  settling  down  to  its  accus- 
tomed level,  and  will  leave  her  to  pursue,  on  the  quietness  of  an 
unruffled  sea,  her  onward  career  of  good  to  man  and  glory  to  God. 

"  As  far  as  I  can  perceive,  the  outward  assaults  upon  the  Church  do 
not  impede  her  progress  in  this  Diocese.  My  confirmations  during 
the  past  year  have  been  in  advance  of  every  former  year  of  my  Epis- 
copate, except  one.  The  contributions  of  the  Diocese  have  increased. 
Individual  donations  have  multiplied.  A  greater  number  of  Church 
edifices  have  been  repaired  and  improved  than  in  any  former  year. 
I  cannot  but  notice  a  more  devout  and  solemn  interest  taken  in  the 
concerns  of  the  Church  by  many  ;  stricter  attendance  on  her  ordi- 
nances ;  greater  solicitude  to  understand  her  true  position  and  views  ; 
more  confirmed  and  settled  feelings  of  attachment  to  her  standards  ; 
and  in  a  variety  of  forms,  abundant  evidence  that,  small  as  we  are 
in  numbers,  and  widely  as  we  are  stigmatized,  '  the  gleaning  of  the 
grapes  of  Ephraim  '  is  still  '  better  than  the  vintage  of  Abiezer. ' 
What  is  needed  on  our  part  is  increase  of  faith,  self-denial,  study  and 
vigilance  ;  combined  with  firmness  in  upholding  the  truth,  and  for- 
bearance under  the  cavils  of  prejudice  and  ignorance,  seeking  to  be 
led  by  the  Spirit  in  all  things." 

One  needs  to  know  something  of  the  violence  of  party  spirit  which 
prevailed  at  that  time  to  see  the  full  meaning  of  the  Bishop's  counsels. 
The  "  unruffled  sea  "  (if  the  wide  ocean  is  ever  unruffled)  was  yet  far 
distant. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

TRIALS,      CONTROVERSIES,     AND      DIOCESAN      WORK, 

1844-6 

^  HE  year  following  the  Diocesan  Council  of  1844  was 
in  some  respects  one  of  great  trial  both  for  Bishop  De 
Lancey  and  for  his  Diocese.  The  Diocese  itself  indeed 
was  at  peace,  so  far  as  any  portion  of  the  Church  could 
be  in  those  days  of  restless  strife.  Hut  the  Bishop  of 
Pennsylvania,  who  had  been  for  many  years  not  only  the  personal 
friend  but  the  Diocesan  of  Dr.  De  Lancey,  was  early  in  the  fall 
stricken  down,  first  by  the  acceptance  of  his  resignation  by  his  Dio- 
cese, not  on  the  ground  of  ill  health  (on  which  it  was  offered)  but  of 
immorality,  and  shortly  after  suspended  indefinitely  from  his  office  by 
the  House  of  Bishops  on  his  own  confession  of  intemperate  habits, 
or,  to  speak  more  accurately,  of  a  free  use  of  liquors  as  remedy 
for  disease,  which  brought  upon  him  and  on  the  Church  the  scandal 
of  supposed  intemperance.  His  fall  touched  Bishop  De  Lancey  the 
more  deeply  because  the  closely  contested  election  of  Dr.  Henry 
Onderdonk  to  the  Episcopate  in  1827  had  been  indirectly  through 
his  own  able  leading  of  the  Pennsylvania  Convention.  I  say  indi- 
rectly, because,  strange  to  say,  the  man  whom  Dr.  De  Lancey  wanted 
as  Bishop  White's  coadjutor  was  John  Henry  Hopkins,  afterwards 
Bishop  of  Vermont ;  and  on  the  other  hand  it  was  only  his  unfailing 
vigilance  as  Secretary  of  the  Convention  of  1826  that  detected  an 
error  in  scrutiny  which  would  have  elected  by  one  vote  William 
Meade,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Virginia;  and  that  finally,  the  next  year, 
elected  Henry  Onderdonk,  also  by  one  vote.*  But  this  calamity, 
deeply  as  the  Bishop  felt  it  (and  many  also  in  the  Diocese  where  Dr. 
Onderdonk's  earlier  years  had  been  spent  as  a  loved  and  faithful  Mis- 
sionary' and  Rector  at  Canandaigua),  was  as  nothing  compared  to  that 
which  followed  immediately  after  the  General  Convention  of  1844. 
In  that  Convention  every  effort  had  been  made  by  the  "Low  Church" 


*  The -whole  story   may   be  seen  in    the  able  and  intensely  interesting  ZZ/i' p/ 
Bishop  Hofkinshyh\s  son,  John  Henry  Hopkins,  D.U.,pp.  84-1 1 1.   (N.  V.  1S73.) 


174  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

party  to  obtain  in  some  way  an  official  condemnation  of  the  Oxford 
Tracts  and  everything  connected  with  them.  A  strong  resolution  to 
this  effect  was  defeated  in  the  Lower  House  by  a  decided  vote  of  the 
Clergy  and  a  very  close  one  of  the  Laity,  and  the  adoption  (by  a 
nearly  unanimous  vote)  of  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  the  "Liturgy, 
Offices  and  Articles  "were  sufficient  exponents  of  the  Church's 
teaching,  and  her  Canons  the  "  means  of  discipline  and  correction 
for  all  who  depart  from  her  Standards."*  The  General  Theological 
Seminary,  a  special  object  of  partizan  suspicion,  was  subjected  to  a 
very  thorough  visitation  by  a  committee  of  the  Bishops,  with  the  result 
of  "  a  large  number  of  questions  answered  in  a  way  to  which  no 
exception  could  well  be  made,"  so  that  "  nobody  was  hurt."t  But 
immediately  on  the'  adjournment,  the  storm  which  had  been  gathering 
around  the  Bishop  of  New  York  since  the  Carey  ordination  of  1843, 
burst  forth  in  all  its  fury.  I  have  no  thought  of  attempting  to  discuss 
here  even  as  a  matter  of  opinion  the  question  of  the  comparative  guilt  or 
innocence  of  the  Bishop,  on  which  the  passing  of  two  generations  has 
apparently  brought  no  new  light,  and  no  material  change  in  judgments  on 
either  side  formed  sixty  years  ago.  His  warmest  friends — those  who 
fought  most  vigorously  and  persistently  for  his  acquittal,  and  later  for  his 
pardon,  must  have  admitted,  as  did  Bishop  De  Lancey  most  sorrowfully, 
that  there  was  in  his  conduct  "much  to  condemn, as  imprudent,  foolish, 
and  likely  to  be  misunderstood  and  misrepresented  to  the  injury  of 
the  Church, "t  and  perhaps  beyond  that,  as  liable  to  be  a  permanent 
hindrance  to  his  regaining  the  confidence  of  his  Diocese  as  a  whole.  § 
On  the  other  hand  it  can  hardly  be  denied  that  the  bitter  partizan 
hostility  (almost  inconceivable  to  one  who  has  not  read  pretty  thoroughly 
the  newspaper  and  pamphlet  polemics  of  that  day)  awakened  by  his 
stubborn  and,  as  people  thought,  unqualified  defence  of  the  Oxford 
Movement,  and  its  practical  issue  in  the  Carey  Ordination,   was  a 


*Journ.  Gen.  Conv.  1844,  p.  64. 

t  Life  of  Bishop  Hopkins,  p.  226.   See  also  Joum.  Gen.  Conv.  1S44,  pp. 232-50. 

t  Trial  of  Bp.  B.  T.  Onderdonk,  N.  Y.  1845,  Bp.  Ue  Lancey's  opinion,  p.  310, 
which,  after  another  careful  reading,  still  seems  to  me  an  admirable  statement  of 
that  mihappy  and  perple.xing  case,  whether  one  agrees  with  all  its  conclusions  or 
not. 

§  I  say  this  with  some  hesitation,  as  I  never  heard  Bishop  De  Lancey  express 
such  an  opinion  as  to  his  restoration.  The  ground  of  it  may  be  seen  in  the  Li/e 
of  Bishop  Hopkins,  p.   230. 


Trials  and  Controvkrsies,  1844  175 

very  important  factor,  to  say  the  least,  in  all  the  action  which  culmi- 
nated in  his  overthrow.*  The  six  Bishops  who  refused  to  concur  in 
the  conviction  t  were  denounced  as  unfaithful  to  the  Church,  to  relig- 
ion and  morals.  Threats  were  uttered  of  judicial  proceedings  against 
some  of  them,  t  When  Bishop  De  Lancey  officiated  in  the  (practi- 
cally) vacant  Diocese  of  New  York  he  was  refused  admission  to  some 
of  its  churches  solely  on  account  of  his  "  Opinion  "  in  Bishop  Onder- 
donk's  case.§  The  bitter  feeling  towards  him  was  undoubtedly  inten- 
sified by  the  fact  that  several  of  those  concerned  in  the  Trial  and  the 
events  which  preceded  it  had  belonged  to  Western  New  York,  though 
before  he  became  its  Bishop.  From  his  opinion  of  the  absence  of 
evil  intent  in  his  suspended  Brother.  1  believe  Bishop  I)e  Lancey 
never  swerved  to  the  end  of  his  life.  But  enough  of  this  ;  one  who 
remembers  those  days  of  unchristian  strife  can  only  be  thankful  that 
they  are  long  past,  and  hope  that  in  God's  mercy  the  Church  may 
never  see  their  like  again. 

The  Diocese,  as  I  have  said,  remained  outwardly  at  peace  :  but 
there  was  in  many  places,  if  not  everywhere,  a  feeling  of  alienation 
and  distrust,  a  wide-awake  suspicion  of  the  most  trifling  and  innocent 
words  or  acts  supposed  to  imply  a  "tendency  towards  Puseyism," 
which  lasted  for  at  least  a  whole  decade  of  years,  and  was  in  many 
cases  ver}'  painful,  most  of  all  to  the  Bishop  himself  and  those  who 
stood  by  him  most  loyally.     Of  course  this  foolishness  and  bitterness 


*  It  is  impossible,  of  course,  to  go  into  detailed  proof  of  this  ;  I  think  few  will 
deny  it  at  this  time,  whom  it  does  not  touch  personally  through  relatives  or  friends. 
One  who  reads  now-a-days  (as  I  hope  few  do)  the  "  Opinion  "  of  the  first  Bishop 
of  Illinois  (Trial,  p.  262)  or  the  letters  of  the  Bishops  of  Ohio  and  Virginia  quoted 
in  the  Life  of  Bishop  Hopkins  (pp.  233-5),  ^^  ^^^  admirable  resume  in  Dr. 
Brand's  Life  of  Bishop  Whittingham  (I.  352-68)  can  hardly  come  to  any  other 
conclusion, — so  it  seems  to  me. 

t  Ives,  Doane,  Kemper,  De  Lancey,  Whittingham  and  (iadsden. 

t  Life  of  Bp.  Hopkins,  233-5. 

§  Letter  of  Dr.  Anthon,  given  in  "The  Voice  of  Truth  "  (pamphlet),  N.  Y. 
1S45,  p.  8.  The  "  opinion  "  unavoidably  reflected  on  one  or  two  of  the  witness- 
es who  happened  to  be  Dr.  A.'s  parishioners.  The  Bishop  wished  it  recorded 
that  he  opposed  the  publication  of  the  Trial,  "however  much  it  might  favour 
the  Respondent,"  because  "  it  would  tend  to  injure  the  very  moral  and  religious 
feeling  of  the  Church  and  of  the  community,  which  the  act  of  discipline  was 
intended  to  promote."  The  result  vindicated  Bishop  De  Lancey's  judgment. 
(See  a  curious  note  in   Life  of  Bishop  Whittingham.  I.  373.) 


176  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

were  not  all  on  one  side.  The  Bishop  was  as  gentle  and  level-headed 
as  he  was  firm  ;  but  all  his  clergy  were  not  equally  wise  or  generous, 
and  sometimes  gave  too  much  cause  for  irritation  and  suspicion  among 
those,  mostly  laymen,  who  were  making  themselves  (as  had  been  irrev- 
ently  said  said  of  the  Bishop  of  New  York*)  "  martyrs  to  principles 
which  they  probably  did  not  understand." 

Although  the  General  Theological  Seminary  had  been  pronounced 
free  from  ' '  tendencies  ' '  to  Romanism  by  the  Episcopal  visitors  of 
1844,  it  was  in  many  respects  not  in  a  satisfactory  condition,  espec- 
ially in  financial  matters,  its  property  being  greatly  diminished,  and 
its  income  altogether  insufficient  for  even  a  very  moderate  scale  of 
maintenance.  Bishop  De  Lancey  reluctantly  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  impossible  to  carry  it  on  efficiently  as  a  general  Institu- 
tion of  the  Church,  and  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Trustees  in 
June,  1847,  proposed  that  it  be  dissolved  and  made  a  diocesan 
school — in  which  opinion  he  was  sustained  by  a  unanimous  vote  of 
his  own  Diocese,  but  by  few  if  any  beyond  its  borders.  We  can  see 
now,  of  course,  that  this  extreme  measure  happily  failed  to  be  carried 
out.t  But  the  unanimity  with  which  his  own  Convention  followed 
him  in  such  a  change  from  all  its  previous  course  with  regard  to  the 
Seminary,  is  one  among  many  illustrations  of  the  unbounded  confi- 
dence of  his  Diocese  in  his  practical  judgment,  amid  all  the  contro- 
versy as  to  his  encouragement  of  "  tendencies  "  towards  "  Puseyism." 

Up  to  this  time  Bishop  De  Lancey,  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  had 
continued  in  perfect  health,  and  as  remarkable  for  the  amount  and 
variety  of  his  Episcopal  work  as  his  immediate  predecessors.  Natur- 
ally hasty  and  impulsive,  his  long  acquired  habits  of  systematic  indus- 
try enabled  him  to  make  the  very  most  of  his  time  and  strength  ;  he 
never  seemed  to  forget  or  neglect  anything.  But  in  May,  1845,  a 
serious  and  well-nigh  fatal  accident, — being  thrown  from  a  carriage 
on  his  way  to  a  visitation,  at  the  little  village  of  Bethany, — disabled 
him  from  duty  for  a  long  time,  and  left,  I  think,  permanent  traces  of 
impaired  health  and  strength.  He  always  seemed  to  me  an  older  and 
feebler  man  from  that  time  on,  although  his  labours  were  as  unremitt- 
ing and  effective  as  ever.     I  need  hardly  say  that  his  accident  and  ill- 


*  By  the   late  Dr.  C.  S.  Henry,  one  of  the  brightest  as  well  as    most    eccen- 
tric clergymen  who  ever  made  his  home  in  Geneva. 

t  Joum.  1846,  pp.  27,  63.     Life  of  Bp.  Hopkins,  p.  241. 


EI>\V.\kIi   IMiKkSOLL.  I),D. 


S.   John's.    liuKKAi.o  177 

ness  called  forth  ihc  deepest  sympathy  in  every  part  of  tin-  Diocese. 
The  Convention  of  1845,  before  proceeding  to  business,  e.xpressed 
by  unanimous  resolution  its  "grateful  sense  of  the  wonderful  good- 
ness manifested  to  the  Church"  in  his  restoration  "to  a  good  meas- 
ure of  his  former  strength.'' and  its  prayer  for  his  complete  recov- 
ery. 

The  Uiocese  made  another  step  in  advance  this  year  (1845)  in 
the  founding  of  a  third  parish  in  each  of  its  two  large  towns.  In 
Buffalo,  the  new  church.  S.  John's,  really  grew  out  of  the  acceptance 
of  Trinity  Church  (in  succession  to  Dr.  Cicero  S.  Hawks,  who  had 
become  Bishop  of  Missouri),  by  one  of  the  noblest  and  best-beloved 
men  Western  New  York  ever  had,  Edward  Ingersoll.  This  was  in 
March,  1844,  and  a  little  later  in  the  same  year  there  was  not  room 
in  that  Doric  temple  for  the  increased  congregation.  A  few  young 
men  who  could  not  obtain  sittings  resolved  to  organize  a  new  parish  ; 
enlisted  others  in  the  enterprise  ;  obtained  at  once  sufficient  subscrip- 
tions for  its  support,  and  the  use  of  a  lecture  room  ;  applied  to  the 
Bishop,  who  sent  them  Charles  Henry  Piatt  (then  just  in  Priest's 
Orders,  and  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  capable  of  our  clergy  of 
that  day  and  long  after)  ;  obtained  plans  from  Calvin  N.  Otis,  the 
builder  and  nominal  architect  of  Trinity,  Geneva,  for  a  stone  church 
far  exceeding  in  architectural  pretension  as  well  as  in  size  and  cost  any- 
thing yet  attempted  in  Buffalo  ;  sold  the  pews  for  over  $20,000  before 
ground  was  broken  for  the  building  ;  and  within  two  years  had  it 
completed  and  consecrated,  and  a  vigorous  parish  fully  at  work  under 
Montgomery  Schuyler,  since  so  widely  known  and  highly  honoured 
in  his  half-century's  charge  of  Christ  Church,  S.Louis,  Mo.*  I 
spoke  of  the  building  as  showing  architectural  "pretension"  rather 
than  character  ;  it  was  in  fact  a  great  open-roofed  hall  100  feet  by  60, 
with  a  comer  tower,  having  hardly  a  single  feature  of  real  merit  ;  but 
up  to  185 1  it  was  of  course  far  beyond  S.  Paul's  "  carpenter's  Gothic" 
and  Trinity's  heathen  Doric. 

*  He  resigned  Sept.  i,  1854.  The  Parish  was  organized  Feb.  ly,  1845;  the 
church  consecrated  Feb.  3,  184S,  having  been  completed  at  a  cost  of  $35,000. 
In  1855  ^  chancel  was  added  and  richly  furnished.  Its  location  (Washington 
and  Swan  Sts.)  was  then  central  and  favourable,  and  for  many  years  the  Sunday 
evening  services  especially  had  a  very  large  attendance.  In  1869  it  was  restorei.'. 
after  partial  destruction  by  fire,  and  in  1893,  after  many  vicissitudes,  sold  and  dese- 
crated, and  the  present  church  built  on  the  west  side  of  the  city. 


1 78  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

In  Rochester,  Trinity  Church,  organized  Nov.  25,  1845,  by  a 
colony  representing  what  was  then  the  more  radical  element  in  S. 
Luke's,  that  is,  most  strongly  opposed  to  the  Bishop's  "  Puseyism," 
succeeded  in  building  a  brick  church  of  no  architectural  character  (or 
even  pretension,  which  was  so  much  in  its  favour),  which  was  conse- 
crated Feb.  15,  1848,  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Charles  D. 
Cooper.  The  parish  had  a  hard  struggle  for  a  long  time,  partly  on 
account  of  the  position  of  the  church  building,  and  partly,  perhaps, 
from  the  extreme  "  Low  Church  "  element  by  which  it  was  originally 
ruled  ;*  but  this  died  away  in  time  ;  a  new  church  of  better  character 
and  in  a  better  position  took  the  place  of  the  old  one,  and  the 
Parish  has  long  since  maintained  a  good  rank  and  character  among 
the  Rochester  churches.  The  Rector  under  whom  S.  Luke's  had 
become  by  far  the  first  Parish  in  the  Diocese, — Henry  J.  White- 
house, — resigned  in  May,  1844,  and  was  succeeded  the  same  )^ear  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  C.  Pitkin,  an  accomplished  scholar  and  faithful  Pas- 
tor, but  not  in  harmony  with  the  "Evangelical  "partizanship which  was 
gaining  ground  in  that  Parish.  In  January,  i848,hegaveway  to  the  Rev. 
Henry  W.  Lee,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Iowa,  who,  though  by  no  means  a 
radical  "  Low  Churchman, "  was  much  more  acceptable  to  that  element 
in  the  Parish.  Meantime  an  important  change  had  taken  place  in  S. 
Luke's  opposite  neighbour  (opposite  in  more  than  one  sense)  S.  Paul's, 
then  known  canonically,  but  never  colloquially,  as  "  Grace  Church," 
in  the  election  of  the  Rev.  John  V.  Van  Ingen,  D.D.,  as  its  Rector  ; 
he  having  served  in  the  Parish  for  a  year  before,  as  I  have  noted 
above,  (p.  167),  as  Assistant  to  Bishop  De  Lancey  in  his  temporary 
proprietorship.  Before  coming  to  Rochester,  Dr.  Van  Ingen  had 
been  nine  years  a  missionary-rector  at  Greene,  Chenango  county, 
where  he  had  built  up  a  substantial  and  well-ordered  parish,  and  had 
gained  the  full  confidence  of  the  Bishop.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
gifts,  and  of  wonderful  capacity  for  making  them  available  to  the 
utmost  in  every  sphere  of  work  to  which  he  was  called  ;  as  pastor, 
preacher,  writer,  administrator  of  affairs, — a  born  leader  of  men  in 
many  ways.  Even  those  who  differed  from  him  and  distrusted  him 
could  hardly  help  loving  him  personally.  He  became  at  once  a  chief 
leader,  if  not  the  leader,  of  the  "  High  Churchmen  "  of  the  Diocese  ; 

*So  that  some  of  the  old  S.  Luke's  people  used  to  call  their  Trinity  friends 
"Reformed  Presbyterians." 


Changes  and  Controversies,  1846  179 

and  an  astute  and  skillful  one.  Hut  it  was  not  until  several  years 
after  this  that  he  and  Dr.  Lee  came  in  conflict,  and  then  perhaps 
more  by  force  of  circumstances  than  from  any  desire  for  a  fight. 

In  his  Address  of  1846  the  Bi.shop  brought  together  his  various 
utterances  of  former  years  on  Church  principles  and  the  Oxford 
movement,  quoting  largely  from  the  Addresses  of  1841  ,'42, '43  and  '44, 
and  his  sermon  at  Bi.shop  Eastburn's  consecration,  and  repeating 
in  full  the  article  of  1843  on  "  What  is  not  Puseyism."  To  this  he 
added  (for  the  first  time)  some  remarks  on  the  diversities  in  ritual 
matters  which  had  been  growing  in  the  Diocese  partly  as  a  result  of 
the  Oxford  movement,  and  partly  from  growing  taste  and  more  wealth, 
— a  part,  in  fact,  of  the  changes  which  were  beginning  to  be  visible 
in  every  department  of  public  and  household  life.  Among  these  sup- 
posed novelties  were  embroidered  altar  hangings,  the  credence,  the 
disuse  of  the  old-fashioned  "reading  pew  "  or  desk — all  of  which  he 
defended  by  the  example  of  Bishop  White,  whom  he  always  quoted 
as  an  authority  wherever  it  was  possible.  "Emblematic  candles"  and 
"  the  surplice  in  the  pulpit  "  were  indeed  unknown  in  the  Diocese, 
except,  in  the  latter  case,  in  "  the  emergency  of  not  having  a  gown." 
There  might  be,  "  as  from  the  first  in  this  country,"  a  "  Communion 
Table  "  ^r  "  Altar."  Baptismal  Eonts  were  rightly  in  use.  [Some 
people  then  thought  they  were  "Romish."]  If  people  would  come 
to  week-day  prayers,  twice  a  week  or  ever)-  day.  "God  forbid  that  the 
clergy  should  not  be  ready  to  conduct  their  devotions. ' '  Such  changes 
as  had  been  made  in  the  chancels  of  various  churches  had  his  full 
concurrence,  "  and  had  no  more  to  do  with  Romanism  than  with 
Mahometanism.  "* 

To  this  the  Bishop  added  a  note  showing  the  secessions  of  clergy- 
men to  the  Roman  Communion  as  not  only  few  in  number,  but,  almost 
without  exception,  of  those  not  brought  up  as  Churchmen. 

A  resolution  had  been  offered  in  1845  asking  the  Trustees  of  the 
General  Theological  Seminary  to  consider  the  question  of  the  removal 
of  the  suspended  Bishop  of  New  'Sork  from  his  nominal  pro- 
fessorship. The  subject  was  debated  in  the  Convention  of  1846, 
to  which  it  had  been  postponed,  with  only  the  result  of   a  unanimous 


Joum.  1S46,  pp.  37-51. 


i8o  Diocese    of  Western  New  York 

resolution  recommending  the  Bishop's  proposal  to  dissolve  the  Semi- 
nary "  as  a  general  Institution  of  the  Church."* 

The  Bishop  had  expressed  in  1845  his  desire  to  bring  his  Candidates 
for  Holy  Orders  into  "  closer  personal  intercourse"  with  himself 
than  had  seemed  practicable  under  the  present  conditions  of  sustain- 
ing and  educating  them.  This  matter,  probably  by  his  wish,  was 
referred  to  the  Education  and  Missionary  Board,  who  the  next  year 
were  "not  prepared  to  recommend  any  action,"  and  wished  the  sub- 
ject "  to  be  continued  in  their  hands."  Nothing  more  appears  to 
have  come  of  it,  as  far  as  the  Board  and  the  Convention  were  concerned; 
but  we  may  trace  in  this  thought,  whether  consciously  or  not,  the  germ 
of  the  little  School  of  Candidates  which  began  four  years  later  at 
Geneva  under  the  Bishop's  personal  direction. 

The  reports  of  1847  showed  a  gratifying  increase,  in  response  to 
the  Bishop's  earnest  appeals,  in  contributions  for  Diocesan  Missions, 
although  the  collections  for  sufferers  by  famine  in  Ireland  and  Scot- 
land in  the  churches  of  the  Diocese  had  amounted  to  nearly  $2,000. 
The  total  of  Diocesan  offerings  had  increased  to  $8,920.17,  of  which 
$3,677.26  had  been  for  objects  outside  the  Diocese,  and  very  nearly 
$1,300  for  the  Christmas  Fund.  For  the  present,  no  further  reduc- 
tions of  missionary  stipends  had  become  necessary. 

On  motion  of  Judge  E.  Darwin  Smith  (of  S.  Luke's  Church,  Roch- 
ester), the  following  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted  : 

"  Believing  it  to  be  a  fact  that  those  colleges  only  have  flourished 
which  are  under  the  control  of  some  one  religious  denomination  ;  and 
persuaded  that  the  interests  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  the  true 
interests  of  religion  can  in  no  way  be  more  surely  and  permanently 
advanced,  than  by  the  endowment  and  support  of  colleges  under 
the  control  of  Episcopalians,  this  Convention  fully  concurs  in 
the  application  in  behalf  of  Geneva  College  to  Trinity  Church, 
New  York,  for  a  liberal  appropriation  for  the  endowment  and  support 
of  that  College,  and  establishing  the  same  upon  a  permanent  basis. 

"Resolved,  That  a  Committee  of  six  be  appointed  by  the  President 
to  consider  and  report  to  the  next  Convention  what  measures  may  be 
fitly  taken  at  such  Convention  to  sustain  Geneva  College  and  promote 
its  prosperity  and  the  interests  of  the  Church  in  connection  there- 
with." 


*  Jouni.  1S46,  p.  65. 


CIIAI'TI'R    XXIX 
THE    E.    K.   S.    AND    OlIIK.R    C(  )N  I'RoVERSIES    OK     1848 

^^^^^^?)|1  SHOR'l'  l)ui  interesting  controversy  grew  out  of  the 
effort  to  establish,  in  May,  1848,  a  diocesan  branch  of 
the  "  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society." 

During  the  session  of  the  (leneral  Convention  of 
1826,  in  S.  Peters  Church.  Philadelphia,  ameetingof 
its  members  and  others  under  the  presidency  of  Bishop  White,  and  on 
motion  of  •'  the  Rev.  William  H.  De  Lancey,"  established  the 
"  General  Protestant  Episcopal  Sunday  School  Union."  for  the  pur- 
pose of  '*  devising  a  method  of  concentrating  and  aiding  the  operations 
of  Sunday  Schools  and  Sunday  School  Societies."  It  was  a  volun- 
tary organization,  over  which  the  General  Convention,  as  such,  had 
no  control  ;  but  all  the  Bishops  were  ex-officio  Vice-Presidents  and 
Managers,  and  the  Union  was  soon  recognized  as  the  sole  instrumen- 
tality of  the  Church  for  the  publication  of  books  and  pamphlets, 
primarily  for  Sunday  School  use.  but  also  for  general  circulation.  It 
maintained  thus  a  quasi-official  character  and  authority  for  many 
years,  with  the  confidence  and  support  of  the  great  body  of  Church- 
men. Its  earliest  publications  were  largely  under  the  direction  of 
Bishop  Hobart,  and  its  first  Sunday  School  manuals  written  by  him  ; 
its  first  manager  was  William  R.  Whittingham,  afterwards  Bishop  of 
Maryland,  who  was  succeeded  by  his  brother-in-law,  John  V.  Van 
Ingen  ;  and  as  time  went  on,  the  work  of  the  Society  was  more  and 
more  on  the  basis  of  "  High  Church"  principles  and  teaching,  simply 
because  those  who  believed  in  such  principles  took  more  interest  in  it. 
The  Low  Churchmen  began  to  feel  that  it  did  not  represent  their 
views,  especially  their  opposition  to  everything  which  they  regarded 
as  the  fruit  of  the  "  Oxford  Movement."  In  1847,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  the  Bishop  of  Virginia,  the  strongest  opponent  of  the  Sunday 
School  Union,  a  new  association  was  formed  under  the  name  of  "the 
Evangelical  Knowledge  Society,"  and,  of  course,  on  a  distinct  party 
basis,  the  ■■  General  Sunday  School  Union"  still  claiming  to  repre- 
sent fairly  the  Church  as  a  whole. 


1 82  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

In  a  Pastoral  Letter  of  May  5,  1848,  Bishop  De  Lancey  gives  quite 
fully  his  views  of  the  proposed  movement  in  his  own  Diocese. 

"  I  perceive,  this  morning  in  the  Episcopal  Recorder  oi  Philadelphia 
a  printed  circular  calling  for  a  meeting  to  be  held  in  S.  Luke's 
Church,  Rochester,  on  the  nth  of  May,  '  to  organize  an  auxiliary  in 
the  Diocese '  to  '  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Evangelical  Knowledge.' 

"  The  circular  is  signed  by  four  clergymen  and  thirty-five  laymen, 
in  their  individual  capacity,  not  as  representatives  of  the  parishes  ; 
being  four  from  Geneva,  one  from  Penn  Pan,  two  from  Mount  Morris, 
one  from  Oxford,  one  from  Le  Roy,  one  from  Oswego,  one  from 
Lockport,  twenty-four  from  Rochester.  It  has  been  sent,  I  under- 
stand, to  many  of  the  Clergy  and  Laity  in  the  Diocese,  though  not  to 
me. 

"  As  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  say  to  you  that 
this,  as  I  understand  it,  is  an  attempt  to  form  a  Diocesan  Society, 
'  a  Society  in  the  Diocese,'  without  previous  consultation  with  the 
Parish  Vestries,  the  Standing  Committee,  the  Convention  of  the 
Diocese,  or  the  Bishop.  .  .  The  meeting  is  not  called  to  discuss 
the  question  of  the  expediency  of  organizing  such  a  society,  but  to 
organize  it.  .  .  The  names  attached  to  the  circular  forbid  the 
idea  of  any  intentional,  deliberate,  and  known  design,  to  introduce  a 
mode  of  action  disrespectful  to  the  authorities  of  the  Diocese,  in  dis- 
regard of  the  Diocese,  and  which  opens  the  door  to  distraction,  divi- 
sion and  schism. 

"  It  will  however,  I  trust,  appear  both  to  you  and  them,  that  in  the 
same  way,  by  a  notice  from  a  few  gentlemen  dispatching  a  circular, 
asserting  the  expediency  of  the  step,  without  consultation  with  any  of 
the  authorities  of  the  Diocese,  any  kind  of  irresponsible  society,  even 
an  anti-protestant,  a  tractarian,  or  anti-evangelical  society,  may  be 
formed,  and  claim  the  character  of  being  a  Diocesan  Society  ; 
and  that  in  this  way,  every  Diocese  throughout  the  country,  and  in 
fact,  every  parish,  may  be  involved  in  all  the  evils  of  party  distraction 
and  schism. 

' '  Of  the  right  of  individuals  to  give  their  money  to  what  object 
they  please,  to  promote  what  kind  of  religious  literature  they 
desire,  or  of  the  right  individually  to  combine  for  the  object  of  pub- 
lishing, buying  and  circulating  books  for  themselves,  I  do  not  raise  a 
question.  All  are  free  to  do  so.  But  of  the  expediency  and  pro- 
priety, not  to  say  the  right,  of  individuals  in  a  Diocese  to  organize  in 
name  or  character,  a  Diocesan  Society  '  to  furnish  Episcopalians  with 
a  sound  religious  literature,  in  the  shape  of  Sunday  School  books  and 
tracts  '  for  children  and  parents,  without  any  previous  consultation  with 
the  Rectors,  or  even  notifying  the  Vestries,  Standing  Committee, 
Convention,  or  Bishop  in  the  Diocese,  I  trust  that  even  the  gentle- 


Evangelical  Knowlkdge  Society  183 

men  who  signed  the  circular,  will,  on  a  reconsideration  of  the  sub- 
ject, judge  adversely.  .  .  With  the  best  judgment  I  can  give  to  this 
project,  I  am  bound  frankly  and  affectionately  to  say  that  I  cannot  but 
regard  it  as  an  irregular,  needless  and  distracting  measure,  and,  how- 
ever undesigned  to  do  so,  yet  calculated  to  rivet  a  party  character  on  the 
Diocese  from  which  we  have  been  hitherto  free,  and  to  provoke  and 
promote  discussion  and  conflicts,  rather  than  to  advance  unity,  har- 
mony and  peace.      In  this  view,  1  cannot  sanction  it." 

In  his  Address  of  1848  the  Bishop  adds  much  more,  especially 
contrasting  the  new  society  with  the  Sunday  School  Union,  which  he 
claims  was  formed  with  ' '  the  implied  sanction  of  the  constituted 
authorities  of  the  Church."  and  from  the  outset  '  had  openly  sought 
their  control  and  guidance."* 

At  the  organization  of  the  Diocesan  Society  in  Rochester,  its  for- 
mation was  justified  by  one  at  least  of  the  four  clergymen  presentf  on 
the  ground  that  •*  parties  "  already  existed  in  the  Diocese,  and  the 
"  minority  "  were  practically  "  proscribed  "  by  being  denied  a  rep- 
resentation on  the  Standing  Committee  and  delegation  to  the  General 
Convention  ;  and  that  it  was  in  no  wise  in  opposition  to  the  Bishop, 
except  as  he  had  placed  himself  in  opposition  to  it.t  Another  meet- 
ing of  the  Diocesan  Society  was  held  in  Rochester,  Sept.  14,  1848, 
when  it  was  voted  to  establish  a  diocesan  "  depository  "  of  its  publi- 
cations with  a  Rochester  bookseller  who  was  one  of  its  members.  The 
name  of  one  more  clerg)'man  of  the  Diocese,  the  Rev.  I^ethel  Judd, 
D.D.,  then  a  teacher  at  Avon  Springs,  appears  as  a  member.  This 
is  the  last  notice  I  find  of  any  action  of  the  auxiliary  Society.  The 
parent  Society  has  continued  to  this  day.  and  done  what  those  in  sym- 
pathy with  it  consider  a  large  and  good  work.§  The  "Sunday  School 
Union  "  appears  to  have  been  dissolved,  or  at  any  rate  to  have  ceased 
publishing,  about  1887. 

While  the  members  of  the  E.  K.  S.  could  fairly  claim  that  both 
Societies  were  '•  voluntary  "  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  and  the 
existence  of  the  one  justified  the  other,  the  position  of  Bishop 
DeLancey  that  one  was  essentially  a  party  organization  and  tended  to 


•Joum.  1848,  pp.  41-q. 

t  Tapping    R.    Chipman,   Henry  W.    Lee,    Henjamin    W.   Stone,    Charles   1). 
Cooper. 

\  Rev.  T.  R.  Chipman's  letter  in  Gospel  Messenger,  XXII.  81.  (June  9,  184S.) 
§  As  I  understand,  it  does  not  now  publish  any  new  books. 


184  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

perpetuate  party  spirit,  was  abundantly  and  almost  unanimously  vindi- 
cated by  his  own  Diocese.  There  was  no  action  or  official  notice  in  the 
Convention  in  response  to  the  Bishop's  Address,  but  the  "  auxiliary  " 
Society  was  simply  ignored  throughout  the  Diocese  except  in  two  or 
three  parishes,  and  soon  perished,  apparently  from  inanition.  It  is 
not  necessary  nor  reasonable  to  suppose  that  all  the  Clergy  and  Laity 
of  the  Diocese  agreed  with  the  Bishop's  view  of  the  matter  ;  but  the 
fact  of  his  positive  disapproval  was  sufficient,  and  their  acquiescence 
in  it  was  another  signal  proof  of  the  remarkable  unity  of  the  people  at 
that  day  in  absolute  loyalty  to  their  Bishop. 

It  should  be  noted  here  that  Bishop  De  Lancey  maintained  con- 
sistently throughout  his  Episcopate  the  same  position  in  regard  to  all 
voluntary  associations  fordoing  what  he  thought  could  be  done  by  the 
constituted  authorities  of  the  Diocese.  At  his  last  Convention,  in 
1864,  a  number  of  the  Clergy  and  Laity  united  to  form  a  "  Society 
for  the  Relief  of  Widows  and  Orphans  of  Clergy,"  partly  to  supply 
the  want  of  any  such  provision  in  the  "  Christmas  Fund,"  but  beyond 
that,  on  a  principle  of  mutual  insurance.  The  writer,  with  the  Rev. 
Drs.  Wilson,  Schuyler,  Hills,  Babcock,  Rogers,  Beach,  and  other 
clergymen  and  laymen  of  whose  entire  loyalty  to  the  Bishop  and  the 
Diocese  there  could  be  no  possible  doubt,  took  an  active  part  in  this 
organization.  But  the  Bishop  promptly  declined  the  Presidency  of 
the  Society,  on  the  ground  that  its  work  could  be  better  done  by  the 
Convention,  and  it  was  consequently  given  up,  and  the  Christmas 
Fund  enlarged  to  benefit  widows  and  orphans,  with  the  loss  of  the 
mutual  insurance  feature.* 

The  Bishop  was  not  favourable  even  to  ' '  convocations  ' '  of  the 
Clergy  which  assumed  any  formal  or  organized  character.  Such 
meetings  were  held  in  various  parts  of  the  Diocese  from  1852,  and  the 
Bishop  occasionally  took  part  in  them  ;  but  they  had  no  permanent 
organization  or  officers. 

I  have  mentioned  before  (p.  136)  a  proposition  offered  in  1839 
for  the  employment  of  itinerant  missionaries,  renewed  in  1844  in 
combination  with  a  plan  to  make  the  missionary  parishes  somewhat 
more  independent  of  the  supposed  influence  of  the  Bishop  in  the 
appointment  of    their  rectors.     In    1850  this   latter  proposition  was 


*  Gospel  Messenger,    XXIII.  138,    142.  (Sept.,   1864.) 


JOHN    \  l>(,Kk   \   \N  IM.I-.N 


Missionary   Rf:ctors  1S5 

again  brought  forward  and  pressed  with  much  earnestness  by  several 
of  the  clergymen  and  laymen  who  had  been  foremost  in  the  matter  of 
the  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society.  Their  argument  was  in  sub- 
stance that  the  power  of  appointing  Missionaries  in  one-half  the  par- 
ishes in  the  Diocese  tended  to  make  the  clergy  subservient  to  the 
Bishop,  and  the  vestries  afraid  to  elect  a  Rector  whose  theological 
views  might  not  be  in  accordance  with  his.  This  argument  was  met 
conclusively  by  the  undisputed  fact  that  no  clergyman  was  ever  nomi- 
nated (to  the  Board  of  Missions  by  the  Bishop)  as  Missionary,  until 
he  had  been  freely  elected  by  the  vestry  as  Rector.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  what  are  now  called  "Organized  Missions"  were  then 
unknown,  and  all  Missions  were  necessarily  incorporated  parishes. 
It  is  only  fair  to  sa}-  that  the  gentlemen  advocating  the  change  dis- 
claimed earnestly,  and  no  doubt  sincerely,  all  distrust  or  opposition 
so  far  as  Bishop  De  Lancey  was  concerned  ;  but  their  friends  in  such 
papers  as  the /'/v/d-j-A?/// 67/ //;r//;/^7//  ^and  Episcopal  Recorder  oi  New 
York  and  Philadelphia  took  up  their  cause  with  a  bitterness  towards 
the  Bishop,  and  with  such  wilful  imputation  of  bad  motives  on  his 
part  and  that  of  all  who  stood  by  him,  as  to  discredit  utterly  their 
cause  throughout  the  Diocese.  From  1851,  when  the  Missionary 
question  was  decided,  it  maybe  said  that  there  was  no  "Low  Church" 
parly  in  the  Diocese,  though  there  were  individual  clergymen  and 
laymen  for  years  afterwards  who  considered  themselves  "a  minority," 
and  in  a  measure  "  proscribed  "  in  influence  and  offices.  But  the 
clergymen  had  all  left  the  Diocese,  as  far  as  I  remember,  before  the 
Bishop's  decease,  and  the  laymen,  with  possibly  one  or  two  excep- 
tions, had  became  his  steadfast  and  loyal  friends.  Of  no  Diocese  in 
the  country  could  it  be  more  truly  said  in  those  last  years  of  Bishop 
De  Lancey's  Epi.scopate,  "Jerusalem  is  built  as  a  city  that  is  at  unity 
in  itself."* 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Vanlngen,  who  had  become,  as  I  said,  a  leader  if 
i\o\.l/ie  leader  of  the  High  Churchmen  of  the  Diocese,  and  was  always 
equally  ready  with  tongue  and  pen, — and  his  Rochester  colleague 
Henry  W.  Lee,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Iowa,  who  was  the  leader  of  the 
Low  Church  party  more  from  his  parochial  position  and  personal  char- 
acter (and,  I  may  add,  his  excellence  as  a  parish  Priest)  rather  than 

»  For  the  final  action  of  the  Convention  on  the  Missionary  Canon,  see  Joum. 
W.  X.  V.  1S51,  pp.  43-7,  59-63. 


1 86  Diocese  of  Western   New   York 

from  special  intellectual  ability, — these  two  kept  up  for  two  or  three 
years  from  1849-50  the  interest  of  the  diocesan  controversy  by  ser- 
mons and  pamphlets  on  Baptismal  Regeneration,  "the  Papal  Aggres- 
sion "  (in  England),  and  "Remarks"  on  the  same,  and  like  subjects, 
on  which  they  probably  found  in  later  years  that  their  differences 
were  really  very  slight.  I  believe  that  the  Diocese  never  had  a  Rec- 
tor more  loyal  in  heart  than  Bishop  Lee,  though  he  could  not  always 
keep  himself  from  entangling  alliances  with  men  of  a  very  different 
spirit.* 

The  last  reference  to  an  exhibition  of  party-spirit  occurs  in  the 
Bishop's  Address  of  1853,  and  was  occasioned  by  the  sending  into 
the  Diocese  a  variety  of  pamphlets  whose  very  names  are  forgotten 
now,  but  mostly  of  a  fierce  partizan  tone.  The  Bishop's  own 
words  characterize  the  whole  movement  (which  had  no  acknowl- 
edged help  within  the  Diocese)  very  fairly. 

"  The  attempts  to  impress  partizan  views  upon  the  members  of  the 
Church  in  the  Diocese  during  the  past  year,  through  the  press  and 
the  post-office,  can  hardly  have  escaped  the  notice  of  any  of  you. 
A  formal  communication  signed  by  several  of  the  Clergy,  and  private 
statements  from  many  others,  have  been  made  to  me,  of  this  inter- 
ference to  molest  their  respective  parishes  by  the  secret  circulation 
among  them  of  such  misrepresentations  of  the  views  of  Churchmen  as 
are  calculated  to  engender  distrust,  strife,  suspicion,  ill-will,  and 
error,  instead  of  that  peace  and  good-will  among  Christian  men,  which 
it  is  the  primary  duty  of  the  Gospel  and  its  Ministers  to  promote. 
Many  of  these  pamphlets  are  anonymous.  They  present  perverted, 
and  distorted,  and  defective  views  on  fundamental  points,  attribute 
errors  to  the  Clergy  which  they  do  not  hold,  and  laboriously  counter- 
act positions  directly  or  impliedly  ascribed  to  them,  which  are  a  per- 
version of  the  views  of  the  Church  as  they  are  presented  in  the  Bible 
and  Prayer  Book,  have  been  held  by  the  Whites,  and  Hobarts,  and 
Dehons,  and  Griswolds,  and  Moores,  that  have  gone  before  us,  and 
are  generally  maintained  and  taught  amongst  ourselves.  It  would 
seem  that  as  such  pamphlets  will  not  be  bought  to  be   read,  they 

*  He  became  Bishop  of  Iowa  in  1854,  as  the  nominee  (as  it  was  generally 
understood)  of  the  Low  Churchmen  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  under 
promise  of  support  by  them, — the  first  Bishop  they  had  been  able  to  obtain  in 
the  Western  States.  But  he  said  to  me,  after  some  experience  of  Missionary  work 
in  the  West,  "  Wherever  I  go  I  distribute  the  Prayer  Book  as  freely  as  possible  ; 
it  is  by  far  the  best  Missionary  Tract  1  can  find."  And  it  was  he  who  joined 
Bishop  Whipple  in  a  most  earnest  but  fruitless  effort  to  arrest  the  beginning  of 
the  "Reformed  Episcopal"  schism  in  Chicago. 


Parii/an    Pamimii.ets  187 

must,  by  their  abettors,  be  printed  and  distributed  gratuitously,  and 
from  the  larjj^e  and  wealthy  cities  of  the  Union,*  come  to  the  country 
those  missiles  of  error  and  party.  seekin<;  to  pervade  and  pervert  the 
parishes.  If  a  Romanist  should  send  stealthily  to  the  leadinj:;  com- 
municants of  the  parish  of  a  clergyman  of  the  Church,  his  insinuating 
errors,  we  should  not  hesitate  to  denounce  it  as  an  act  of  Jesuitism. 
The  name  seems  to  be  equally  applicable  to  those  secret  and  irre- 
sponsible attempts  to  undermine  the  stability,  disturb  the  faith,  and 
distract  the  minds  of  the  clergy  and  the  laity.  Against  anonymous 
and  irresponsible  pamphlets,  we  can  only  urge  the  remedy  prescribed 
for  anonymous  letters— utter  disregard  and  the  Hames. 

"To  open,  manly,  fair  and  Christian  argument,  on  any  subject 
connected  with  the  doctrines,  worship,  ministry  and  usages  of  the 
Church.  I  am  sure  none  of  you  would  object.  But  to  distort, 
obscure,  and  darken  the  truth  as  held  on  these  topics,  that  it  may 
assume  a  startling  and  alarming  aspect  to  unsophisticated  minds,  and 
to  do  it  under  a  fictitious  name,  and  with  an  obvious  view  to  create 
and  diffuse  distrust,  collisions,  party  feelings  and  strife,  constitute //-;- 
ma  facie  evidence  of  error,  both  in  faith  and  practice.  Dark  lan- 
terns are  used  principally  by  those  who  love  darkness  rather  than 
light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil.  In  most  cases  the  name  of  its 
author  would  stamp  such  pamphlet  with  its  true  character.  The  hard- 
ened partizan.  the  untiedged  novitiate,  the  actual  errorist,  and  the 
designing  enemy,  shrink  from  connecting  with  the  publication  a  name 
that  would  at  once  mar  its  influence,  counteract  its  evils,  and  serve 
as  a  beacon  to  warn  against  its  errors. 

"When,  on  such  topics  as  the  process  of  conversion,  the  effects  of 
sacraments,  the  obligations  of  the  ministry,  the  nature  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  the  authority  of  Gospel  institutions,  the  personal  evi- 
dences of  our  relations  to  Christ,  and  the  workings  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  Divine  institutions,  a  flood  of  disturbing,  unsettling,  denunciatory 
and  erroneous  publications  has  been  started,  portentous  of  evil  to  the 
peace,  harmony  and  prosperity  of  the  Church,  and  aiming,  as  I 
think,  at  designs  and  attempts  to  change  thk  Pravkr  Book,  which, 
in  its  Prayers,  Offices,  Articles,  and  its  whole  spirit  and  tenor,  is 
inimical  to  the  views  thus  insidiously  presented  and  urged,  I  deem  it 
my  duty  to  lift  my  voice  in  warning  against  the  revolutionary  move- 
ment, and  to  invoke  the  clergy  and  laity  to  be  on  their  guard  against 
insidious  instruction,  however  offered,  which  in  this,  or  in  any  direc- 
tion, seeks  to  undermine  the  ramparts  of  truth  and  worship  as  held 
by  our  fathers  and  transmitted  to  us  in  the  Bible  and  the  Prayer 
Book."* 


•Most  of  these  pamphlets,  I  think,  were  sent  from  Philadelphia, 
t  Journ.  \V.  N.  Y.  1853,  p.  47. 


HOBART    Coi.I.KGK  I  S9 

institution  frf)m  which  good  Christians  ought  to  keep  their  sons  away, 
although  in  fact  the  actual  "Church"  inHuence  and  teaching  in  it 
were  of  the  mildest  possible  character. 

Dr.  Mason's  resignation  in  August.  1S35,  left  a  vacancy  of  a  year 
in  the  Presidency,  its  duties  being  performed  by  the  Senior  Professor 
(of  mathematics),  Horace  Webster,  LL.l)..  (known  to  the  students  of 
his  day  by  the  endearing  title  of  "  Old  Fess,")  who  in  one  capacity 
or  another — and  most  of  the  time  in  more  than  one— was  the  sheet- 
anchor  of  the  College  through  the  trials  and  vicissitudes  of  twenty- 
two  years.  With  him  (a  few  years  later),  and  entitled  to  equally 
grateful  remembrance  by  all  old  Hobart  men,  was  the  Professor  of 
Latin  and  Greek,  David  Prentice,  LL.D.  (known  in  the  same  affec- 
tionate way  as  "  Old  Davie,")  as  different  as  possible  in  every  way 
from  Professor  Webster,  but  as  unselfishly  devoted  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  College  and  of  every  one  of  its  students.  In  January, 
1836,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  J.  Whitehouse.  then  Rector  of  S.  Luke's 
Church,  Rochester,  was  elected  President,  and  at  the  same  time  a 
vigorous  effort  was  made  by  the  people  of  Rochester  ^  mostly  the 
Church  people,  1  presume)  to  have  the  College  removed  to  that  city. 
An  addition  of  $70,000  was  subscribed  to  its  endowment  for  that 
purpose  ;  but  the  undertaking  failed,  and  on  its  failure,  and  possibly 
for  other  reasons  (the  impending  division  of  the  Diocese  being  sup- 
posed at  the  time  to  be  one).  Dr.  Whitehouse  declined,  and  the 
vacancy  was  finally  and  most  happily  filled  in  August  of  the  same 
year  by  the  election  and  acceptance  of  the  Rev.  Bknjamin  Halk, 
D.D.,  a  graduate  of  Bowdoin  in  18 13.  and  Professor  of  Chemistry 
in  Dartmouth  College.  He  remained  President  for  twenty-three 
years, — years  of  such  continuous  labour,  and  ungrudging  sacrifice  of 
all  personal  comfort  and  interest,  as  have  seldom  been  given  to  the 
accomplishing  of  any  good  work. 

Those  who  had  the  happiness  to  know  Dr.  Hale  personally,  even 
as  his  students,  will  agree  with  me  that  it  would  be  hard  to  say  too 
much  of  his  many  excellencies  of  character.  The  phrase  "  a  noble- 
man of  nature  "  has  often  been  well  applied,  but  never  more  aptly 
than  to  him  ;  like  Bishop  De  Lancey,  he  was  a  gentleman,  in  the  ver^- 
best  sense  of  that  much  abused  word,  "  through  and  through.'"  One 
can  hardly  say  more  of  one  who  is  also  a  Christian  through  and 
through.      He  was  an  accomplished  scholar  in  many  studies  besides 


iQO  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

those  which  he  had  chiefly  taught,  and  he  had  the  rare  gift  of  making 
his  scholarship  attractive  to  all  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to 
come  under  his  personal  teaching.  But  these  were,  after  all,  lesser 
things.  The  great  thing  was  the  absolute  faithfulness  with  which  he 
devoted  himself  to  the  hard  and  often  ungrateful  work  given  him  to 
do, — the  building  up  of  a  small  and  unpopular  institution  of  the 
Church  under  almost  every  conceivable  disadvantage,  with  little 
indeed  of  the  help  he  should  have  had  from  others,  and  an  amount  of 
indifference  if  not  of  active  opposition  most  disheartening  to  one 
who  would  count  no  cost  too  much  to  give  to  the  service  of  Christ 
and  His  Church. 

The  College  up  to  this  time  had  entered  in  ten  years  136  students, 
and  graduated  40 — not  an  encouraging  beginning.  In  the  next  ten 
years,  to  1846,  187  were  entered  and  62  graduated  ;  which  was  only 
a  little  better.  It  was  really  the  small  number  of  students  which 
mainly  caused  the  exodus  to  larger  colleges,  especially  to  Union, 
which  had  then  the  reputation  of  a  much  easier  course — Geneva 
standing  then,  as  she  has  ever  since,  for  the  exaction  of  thorough 
study  in  the  few  things  she  did  teach,  notably  in  classics  and  mathe- 
matics. In  1837  her  course  was  enlarged,  and  her  work  materially 
advanced  by  the  acquisition  of  Theodore  Irving  as  Professor  of  His- 
tory, Modern  Languages,  and  Belles  Lettres,  and  two  years  later  of 
Edward  Bourns  and  Henry  L.  Low  as  Tutors.  All  three  subsequent- 
ly became  clergymen,  and  all  were  not  only  of  great  personal  excel- 
lence but  specially,  though  very  differently,  notable  for  scholarship 
and  aptness  in  teaching.  These  six  gentlemen  (for  they  were  all  true 
gentlemeti)  made  up  a  Faculty  out  of  all  proportion,  not  in  number 
indeed,  but  in  ability  and  efficiency,  to  the  endowments  of  the  Col- 
lege, and  the  help  which  it  had  from  the  Church  people  of  the 
Diocese.  They  had  serious  difficulties  to  contend  with,  all,  perhaps, 
related  more  or  less  to  the  primal  want  of  what  would  be  called 
now-a-days  "financial  backing."  There  was  always  a  want  of 
effective  discipline,  for  which  the  Faculty  were  not  always  to  blame. 
Many  of  the  students  were  mere  boys,  and  unfitted  to  encounter  the 
semi-independent  habits  of  American  college-life  of  that  day, — 
such  as  it  was  at  any  rate  in  all  but  New  England  colleges,  in 
which,  by  the  way,  the  relations  between  Faculty  and  students  were 
by  no  means  so  pleasant  and  courteous  as  they  always  were  at 
Hobart. 


HoRART  College  191 

In  1838  the  grant  from  the  State  put  the  College  comparatively  at 
ease  as  to  means  of  support,  and  under  Dr.  Hale's  able  administra- 
tion, its  number  of  students  had  doubled,  and  its  standing  as  to 
scholarship  became  well  established,  'riien  the  loss  of  almost  its 
entire  income  aside  from  tuition  fees,  by  the  withdrawal  of  State  aid, 
seemed  at  rtrst  a  crushing  blow.  It  was,  on  the  contrary,  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  and  much  better  life,  though  reached  by  slow  and  pain- 
ful steps.  The  Faculty  was  reduced  for  a  time  to  four  ;  the  President, 
one  Professor  (Ur.  Webster)  and  two  Tutors,  all  receiving  salaries  on 
which  they  could  barely  live.  In  fact,  for  several  years  Dr.  Hale 
received  no  salary,  his  brothers  being  happily  able  to  tide  him  over 
this  time  of  distress.  But  the  question  was  brought  home  to  Church- 
men in  the  State  and  especially  in  the  Diocese,  as  it  should  have  been 
years  before,  whether  they  would  maintain  and  build  up  the  College, 
or  let  it  perish.  And  this  involved  another  question,  which  to  this 
day  has  never  been  set  at  rest, — whether  it  was  worth  while  to  sustain 
it  on  any  other  than  the  original  foundation  laid  by  Bishop  Hobart, 
which  had  been  practically  weakened,  as  it  has  since  been  again  and 
again,  in  the  hope  of  thus  conciliating  the  good-will  of  those  who  had 
no  interest  in  it  as  a  Church  institution.  Up  to  this  time  there  had 
been  very  little  distinctive  Church  character  in  its  religious  instruction 
and  worship  ;  the  latter  consisting  only  of  daily  "  Family  "  Prayers 
in  the  nominal  chapel,  (the  anatomical  lecture-room  of  the  "  old  Med- 
ical College,")  of  the  briefest  and  most  unliturgical  character.  Aside 
from  Dr.  Hale's  personal  influence,  there  was  hardly  anything  to 
make  the  students  Christians  in  actual  life,  much  less  Churchmen. 

Under  the  guidance  of  Bishop  De  Lancey  (and  perhaps  I  should 
say  of  Dr.  Hale  also),  a  really  new  era  was  begun  in  1847  by  estab- 
lishing the  Daily  Service,  and  by  making  over  a  small  building  for 
recitation  rooms  into  a  simple  but  appropriate  and  attractive  Norman 
chapel,  the  details  of  which  did  great  credit  to  Dr.  Hale's  architec- 
tural taste  and  knowledge.  The  immediate  effect  of  this  change  on 
the  students  was  remarkable.  I  remember  that  coming  back  in  the 
Spring  of  1848  from  a  year's  absence  in  a  New  England  College 
(after  two  years  at  Hobart)  and  meeting  the  students  in  chapel,  I 
could  scarcely  believe  myself  among  the  same  body  of  men,  seeing  a 
comparative  interest  and  reverence  much  beyond  anything  which  the 
old  way    had   ever  known.      From  that  time  on  there  was  a  marked 


192  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

improvement  in  the  whole  character  and  life  of  the  students  as  a 
whole ;  not  that  there  was  not  much  to  be  desired  both  in  conduct  and 
discipline,  but  that  the  better  element  was  decidedly  uppermost, 
which  had  never  been  the  case  before  to  my  knowledge.*  Bishop 
De  Lancey  sums  up  what  was  done  at  this  time  very  mildly  in  his 
Address  of  1847. 

"By  the  new  arrangements  [as  to  Faculty],"  he  says,"  the  contin- 
ued efficiency  of  the  College  is  amply  secured  ;  and  by  some  improve- 
ments in  its  system,  it  will  doubtless  render  increased  aid  to  the  relig- 
ious training  and  education  of  the  youth  entrusted  to  its  care.  This 
Institution  .  .  now  thrown  almost  entirely  on  the  patronage  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  may  emphatically  be  called  a  Church 
College.  .  .  By  introducing  a  Liturgical  Service,  by  stated  public 
worship  and  instruction  on  Sundays  in  the  College  Chapel,  and  by  the 
lectures  of  the  Startin  Professor  [Dr.  Hale],  it  is  believed  that  a  most 
healthful  influence  will  be  exerted  on  the  minds  of  all  the  students, 
without  infringing  on  any  of  their  conscientious  views  and  opinions, 
and  the  children  of  Episcopalians  be  imbued  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
principles,  and  a  taste  for  the  services,  and  an  attachment  to  the  time- 
honoured  forms  and  doctrines  and  usages  of  the  Church  to  which  they 
belong.  The  College  merits,  as  it  will  need,  the  full  and  cordial  patron- 
age of  Churchmen.  .  .  If  the  Clergy  and  Laity  of  the  Church 
will  second  its  renewed  efforts  by  the  patronage  within  their  power, 
by  an  earnest  interest  in  its  behalf,  by  upholding  its  claims  as  an 
Episcopal  College,  and  by  vindicating  it  from  the  obloquy  unjustly 
cast  upon  it  by  ignorance  and  error,  .  .  it  will  most  effectively  aid 
the  intelligence,  the  education  and  the  piety  of  Churchmen." 

The  Convention  responded  by  the  resolution  already  referred  to 
(p.  180  supra),  expressing  their  conviction  that  the  College  should  be 
maintained,  as  it  had  been  founded,  as  an  Institution  of  the  Church. 

Another  result  of  the  change  of  1847  was  soon  seen  in  an  increase 
in  the  Ministry  of  the  Church  from  the  Alumni ;  five  of  the  class  of 
1848  (one-third  of  the  whole  number)  and  four  of  1849  (out  of  ten) 
becoming  Candidates  for  Orders,  and  these,  as  a  rule,  the  best  men 
of  their  respective  classes.     And  this  result  continued,   with   some 


*  In  the  fall  of  1S4S,  the  students  (mostly  in  my  own  class)  subscribed  a  con- 
siderable sum  for  a  chapel  organ,  which  was  not  obtained  then ;  but  three  years 
later  the  effort  was  renewed  successfully,  and  it  fell  to  me  (then  one  of  the 
"Divinity  Students")  to  buy  the  organ,  see  to  having  it  put  up,  and  become 
temporary  organist  until  a  better  was  found.  The  students  joined  heartily  in  the 
chanting,  which  was  antiphonal,  and  on  Sundays  included  the  Psalms  for  the  Day. 


HoBART  College  193 

interruptions,  for  many  years.  In  1S48  the  Candidates  for  (Orders 
numbered  twenty-four,  thirteen  having  been  admitted  that  year. 

The  "Hobart  Professorship"  of  Latin,  founded  in  1852  partly  by 
subscription  and  partly  by  the  S.  P.  R.  L.,  added  $30,000;  and  some- 
what earlier  an  annuity  in  permanence  of  $3,000  from  'I'rinity  Church, 
New  York,  and  other  benefactions,  placed  the  College  once  more  on 
a  working  basis.  As  a  condition  of  the  Trinity  Church  gift,  the  Col- 
lege was  made  free  as  to  tuition,  and  in  honour  of  its  founder  took 
the  name  of  "Hobart  Free  College,"  shortened  in  i860  to  "Hobart 
College."  I  could  not  begin  to  give  here  in  detail  the  many,  long- 
continued  and  finally  successful  efforts  of  Bishop  De  Lancey  through 
which,  mostly,  these  results  were  attained.  For  the  actual  existence  of 
the  College  to  this  day,  as  well  as  for  the  good  work  which  it  has 
done  for  the  Church  and  the  State  for  half  a  century  past,  we  are 
indebted,  under  God,  chietiy  to  him,  and  next  to  him,  to  the  labours 
and  self-denial  of  Benjamin  Hale. 

Professor  Bourns  (T.  C.  D.),  equally  memorable  for  his  fine  class- 
ical scholarship,  his  single-hearted  devotion  to  duty,  and  his  oddities 
of  person  and  manner,  resigned  in  1845  to  become  somewhat  later 
the  President  of  Norwich  University,  receiving  in  185 1  the  well- 
merited  degree  of  LL.I).  from  Hobart.  He  was  succeeded  in  1848 
by  the  Rev.  Henry  L.  Low,  another  fine  scholar  and  innate  gentle- 
man, only  too  refined  and  sensitive  for  the  unavoidable  disciplinary 
work  of  his  office,  as  well  as  too  amusingly  absent-minded  for  any 
public  duty, — yet  one  whom  no  one  could  know  without  loving  him. 
The  Rev.  Charles  Woodward,  another  accomplished  scholar  and  lov- 
able man,  gave  his  help  for  a  short  time  as  'i'utor,  in  the  greatest 
stress  of  the  College's  need,  and  the  next  year  the  chair  of  Mathe- 
matics was  filled  by  Major  David  Bates  Douglass.  LL.D.,  U.  S.  A., 
who  came  from  the  Presidency  of  Kenyon  College  to  give  us  the 
great  benefit  of  his  services,  for  the  last  year,  as  it  proved,  of  his  life ; 
a  life  in  which  he  had  been  widely  known  and  highly  honoured  for 
his  services  in  the  Army  (^beginning  on  the  Niagara  Frontier  of  1812- 
14)  and  as  engineer  and  architect  of  the  great  public  works  of  New 
York.  At  the  same  time  came  as  Tutor  for  four  years  one  of  the 
best  and  brightest  graduates  Hobart  ever  sent  forth,  the  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Joseph  Morison  Clarke  of  the  class  of  '47.  Benjamin  Hale,  Jr.,  of 
'48,  and  William  Paret  and  Henry  A.  Neely  of  '49,  were  also  Tutors 
for    a  time.     In   1850  there  were    added    to  the    Faculty    two    who 


194  Diocese  of   Western  New  York 

through  many  years  rendered  invaluable  service  to  the  College  and  to 
the  Diocese  in  many  ways — William  Dexter  Wilson  and  Kendrick 
Metcalf.  The  former,  during  a  six  years'  country  pastorate  in  the 
Diocese,  had  become  known  as  an  original  and  forcible  writer  in  Theol- 
ogy and  Ecclesiastical  History,  and  also  as  a  remarkably  successful 
teacher  in  preparation  for  the  Ministry,  having  had  several  students 
under  his  care,  with  Bishop  De  Lancey's  approval,  in  his  country 
parish.  In  coming  to  Geneva  he  was  able  to  carry  on  that  work  in  a 
somewhat  larger  way,  and  the  unsatisfactory  condition  of  the  General 
Theological  Seminary  at  that  time  made  the  Bishop  anxious  to  avail 
himself  of  Dr.  Wilson's  services,  through  which  two  such  men  as  the 
late  Bishop  Whipple  and  Dr.  Theodore  M.  Bishop  had  already  been 
brought  into  the  Ministry.  A  small  class  or  school  in  Divinity  was 
therefore  formed  in  Geneva  in  the  spring  of  1850,  under  the  Bishop's 
direction,  with  Dr.  Wilson  as  the  principal  teacher,  but  with  some 
help  also  from  President  Hale  and  Professor  Metcalf.  It  began  with 
eight  students,  two  of  whom,  Osgood  E.  Herrick  and  Julius  S. 
Townsend,  were  ordained  Deacons  in  185 1  ;  two  more  came  that 
year,  and  seven  were  ordained  in  1852.  Joseph  Morison  Clarke, 
WiUiam  Paret,  Charles  W.  Hayes,  James  A.  Robinson,  Henry  A. 
Neely,  Henry  C.  Stowell,  and  Napoleon  Barrows.  John  G.  Webster 
received  Orders  in  1853,  William  T.  Gibson  and  Robert  Horwood  in 
1854,  H.  Gaylord  Wood  in  1856,  and  Edward  Randolph  Welles  in 
1857.  There  were  a  number  of  others  under  Dr.  Wilson's  instruc- 
tion during  the  years  up  to  1858,  but  the  above  names  are  enough  to 
show  what  sort  of  work  was  done  in  this  temporary  school.  The 
Bishop  himself  took  the  instruction  in  Liturgies  and  Homiletics,  and 
in  criticism  of  theological  essays  assigned  by  him  ;  and  no  one  who 
was  fortunate  enough  to  be  his  pupil  in  those  studies  could  recall 
them  without  the  deepest  gratitude  for  that  privilege. 

A  word  ought  to  be  said  of  Dr.  Metcalf,  affectionately  remembered 
to  this  day  by  many  later  Hobart  students  (to  more  than  one  of  whom 
he  was  a  generous  personal  benefactor)  ;  but  these  reminiscences  are 
already  drawn  out  at  too  great  length.  Looking  back  through  half-a- 
century  on  the  great  and  good  work  of  Christian  training  wrought  in 
Western  New  York  in  those  days, — great  in  quality  if  not  in  amount, — 
I  cannot  help  feeling  more  deeply  than  ever  the  wonderful  Providence 
of  God  which  placed  the  guidance  of  it  all  in  the  hands  of  such  a  man 
as  William  Heathcote  De  Lancey. 


CIIAPTKR  XXXI 
BISHOP  I)E  LANCEY  IN  ENGLAND  ;   I)E  VEAl'X  C()\A.KGE 


i^^rj^-^^lljH E  Conventions  of    1S49  and   1850  were   both   held   in 


/^^c^  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  the  day  after  the  College  Com- 
'^^  "*  ■  mencemcnt,  which  had  been  changed  from  the  first 
Wednesday  in  August  to  this  time  to  give  opportunity 
for  a  fuller  attendance  of  the  Clergy  and  Laity  of  the 
Diocesf.  The  experiment  was  quite  successful.*  some  fifty  clergy- 
men and  a  large  number  of  laymen  attending  the  Commencement  ;  but 
it  was  soon  found  impracticable  to  keep  the  terms  up  to  the  dog-days 
of  August,  and  the  Commencement  was  gradually  brought  back  to 
July,  and  finally  to  June. 

In  the  Journal  of  1850  (p.  51)  will  be  found  a  very  interesting 
Report  from  a  Committee,  (written  probably  by  the  Chairman,  the 
late  Hon.  Stephen  A.  Goodwin  of  Auburn,)  on  the  use  of  the  Insti- 
tution Office,  taking  the  ground  that  the  rights  of  the  Rector  in  a  Par- 
ish can  be  acquired  only  by  Institution.  An  accompanying  pream- 
ble and  resolution  recommended  the  invariable  use  of  the  Office  on 
the  ground  of  doubt  as  to  the  legal  position  of  a  Rector  not  instituted. 
The  Resolution  was  postponed  for  two  years  and  finally  dropped  ;  I 
presume  in  consequence  of  the  publication  in  1850  of  Judge  Murray 
Hoffman's  great  work  on  "The  Law  of  the  Church,"  in  which  the 
opposite  ground  was  taken.  The  Institution  Office  has  seldom  been 
used  since  that  time,  but  its  discontinuance  is  probably  due  more  to 
the  short  and  uncertain  tenure  of  pastoral  relations  than  to  any 
other  cause. 

A  resolution  was  adopted  at  the  Convention  strongly  recommend- 
ing the  Clergy  to  obtain  subscriptions  in  their  parishes  for  the  pro- 
posed ''History  of  the  Church"  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Farmar 
Jarvis,  prepared  at  the  request  of  the  General  Convention.  I  fear 
that  the  resolution  had  about  as  much  practical  influence  as  such  reso- 
lutions usually  have. 

At  the  Convention  of   1851,  in  S.  Luke's. Rochester,  the   Rev.  Dr. 


*  Except  that  we  marched   to  the  Commencement  of   1849  '"  ^  pouring   rain, 
for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  College. 


196  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Gregory  presented  a  Report  reviewing  the  "Plan  of  Subscription"  for 
building  churches  adopted  by  the  Convention  of  1840  (see  p.  140 
sup.),  and  recommending  the  substitution  of  a  plan  which  should  do 
away  with  all  "property  in  seats."  The  subject  was  recommitted  to 
the  next  Convention,  when  the  Hon.  Joseph  Benedict  from  another 
Committee  read  a  fuller  report  tending  more  directly  to  the  adop- 
tion of  the  free-church  plan.  This  was  no  longer  a  mere  theory  in  the 
Diocese,  having  been  successfully  adopted  in  several  parishes,  notably 
in  Dr.  Gregory's,  S.  James,  Syracuse,  and  Mr.  Benedict's,  Calvary, 
Utica.  The  Convention  does  not  seem  however  to  have  been  pre- 
pared for  such  a  radical  change,  and  the  resolution  of  the  Committee  was 
modified,  on  the  motion  of  Governor  Seymour,  to  recommend  only  the 
building  of  churches  free  from  perpetual  or  even  long  leases  of  seats.* 
The  Bishop  announced  in  a  Pastoral  of  May  22,  1852,  his  accept- 
ance of  an  appointment  by  the  House  of  Bishops  as  one  of  the  two 
Delegates  from  the  American  Church  (the  Bishop  of  Michigan  being 
the  other)  to  attend  the  conclusion  of  the  third  Jubilee  of  the  Vener- 
able Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  in  London.  He 
sailed  accordingly  on  May  29,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  De  Lancey,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Van  Ingen,  and  the  Rev.  Walter  Ayrault.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
(afterwards  Bishop)  Wainwright,  Secretary  of  the  House  of  Bishops, 
met  them  in  London.  The  Bishop  was  absent  till  Oct.  2.  He  gives 
in  the  Journal  of  1852  (pp.  32-58)  a  full  and  exceedingly  interesting 
narrative  of  the  whole  summer  abroad,  which  it  is  hardly  possible 
to  transcribe  here,  but  which  will  be  found  well  worth  reading  again. 
The  Jubilee  Service  in  Westminster  Abbey  on  June  15  was 
attended  by  sixteen  Bishops  from  England,  Scotland,  America,  Jeru- 
salem and  the  East  Indies,  and  a  congregation  of  2,000,  of  whom 
1,000  were  communicants.  The  Bishop  of  Oxford  (Samuel  Wilber- 
force)  was  the  Preacher  ;  Bishop  De  Lancey  at  the  Evensong  of  the 
same  day  in  S.  James,  Piccadilly,  where  another  great  congregation 
gathered.  The  next  day  was  a  commemoration  of  the  two  great 
Church  Societies  (S.  P.  G.  and  S.  P.  C.  K.)  in  S.  Paul's,  attended 
by  twenty  Bishops  and  the  City  authorities  in  state  ;  Bishop  M'Coskry 
being  the  Preacher.  This  was  followed  by  a  great  reception  of  the 
Bishops  by  the  Lord  Mayor  at  the  Mansion  House. t       On  the   17th 

*  See  Joum.  1851,  p.   57,  and  1852,  p.  67. 

t  Where  Bishop  M'Coskry,    as  he  told  me,   was  announced   as    "  My    Lord 
Bishop  of  My-chicken  !" 


The  Risiioi-  i\    F.Nc.i.ANn  197 

the  Bishops  visited  Winchester,  where  the  Bishop  of  Michigan 
preached  at  the  Cathedral,  and  in  the  afternoon  both  responded  to 
addresses  of  welcome  at  a  public  meeting  under  the  presidency  of  the 
Dean.  ^  The  next  day  came  the  S.  V.  G.  welcome  to  the  Bishops 
in  its  rooms  at  79  Pall  Mall,  reported  quite  fairly  in  the  Appendix  to 
the  Journal  of  1852,  pp.  14  .:i.  At  this  meeting  ;^5oo  was 
given  by  the  Society  towards  the  erection  of  a  Free  Hospital 
in  New  York  for  English  emigrants.  The  next  day.  the  19th, 
was  a  commemoration  of  the  (Queen's  .Accession,  at  Fulham. 
Following  this  Bishop  De  Lancey  preached  at  Paddington,  S. 
George's,  Hanover  Square.  S.  .Vndrew's.  Holborn,  S.  .Augustine's 
and  the  Cathedral,  Canterbury.  S.  Martin "s-in-the- Fields.  Farnham 
Palace  at  an  Ordination  in  which  he  united  by  special  request,  (and 
on  the  Fourth  of  July,  the  first  such  act  of  intercommunion  by  an 
.American  Bishop,)  and  at  various  churches  in  the  countr}',  especially 
for  Keble  at  Hursley  (where  the  Bishop  was  the  guest  of  his  cousin  Sir 
William  Heathcote),  Ripon  Minster,  and  in  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
At  O.xford  occurred  the  presentation  of  the  great  Alms- Basin  to  the 
American  Church  from  members  of  the  University,  the  same  now 
used  at  the  services  of  the  (General  Convention.  .About  400 
"  Bishops,  Noblemen.  Clergymen.  Masters.  Tutors  and  Fellows" 
took  part  in  the  presentation  in  Exeter  College  gardens.  On  the 
23d,  at  Oxford,  the  Bishops  and  Dr.  Wainwright  received  the  honor- 
ary degree  of  D.  C.  L.  "  amid  vociferous  manifestations  of  enthusiasm 
on  the  part  of  all  present."  In  these  proceedings,  the  Bishop  says 
"  it  was  peculiarly  gratifying  to  us  to  witness  the  cordial  and  marked 

*  I  cannot  leave  out  Hishop  M'Coskry's  account  of  this  reception,  though  his 
tellinc^oi  it  cannot  be  reproduced.  The  Dean,  a  very  old  and  infirm  man,  una- 
ble to  .«;peak  extempore,  had  brought  a  neat  little  .speech  which  he  thought  he 
had  learned  by  heart.  In  the  excitement  of  the  occasion  he  had  utterly  forgotten 
it,  and  did  not  dare  either  to  read  it  or  to  e.xtemporize.  He  began — "  The  Ameri- 
can Bishops  !  we  are  glad  to  meet  them."  An  awful  pause  after  the  hearty  cheer- 
ing. "The  American  Bishops!  we  are  glad  to  meet  them!"  ("Hearhim! 
Hear  him!"  from  all  parts  of  the  Hall,  and  another  silence.)  The  poor  Dean 
turned  in  despair  to  the  "  American  Bishops"  with  •'  My  Lords,  I'm  seventy  !" 
Bishop  M'Coskry  hardly  needed  his  colleague's  adjuration  to  "save  the  day." 
"Mr.  Dean,"  he  responded  amid  tumultuous  cheers,  "I  am  not  surprised  that 
words  have  failed  you  on  this  occasion.  It  is  no  light  thing  for  a  Mother  to  wel- 
come home  a  Daughter  !"  "  And  then,"  added  the  Bishop,  "  I  thought  they 
would  take  the  roof  off."     See  the  mild  report  in  Journ.  1852,  Appendix,  p.   10. 


198  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

applause  elicited  by  the  allusions  to  our  Church  and  our  country  [in 
the  Latin  oration  of  welcome]  from  the  undergraduates  of  the  Univer- 
sity, hereafter  to  be  among  the  Divines  and  Statesmen  of  England." 
Following  were  visits  to  Harrow  School  (of  which  Dr.  C.  J.  Vaughn 
was  then  Master),  to  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  the  Charter  House, 
to  Cambridge,  Eton,  Windsor,  York,  Durham,  Edinburgh,  Aberdeen, 
Perth,  Glasgow,  Belfast,  Armagh,  Dublin,  Bangor,  S.  Asaph,  War- 
wick, Stratford-on-Avon,  Malvern,  Leeds  (where  the  Bishop  preached 
at  the  Commemoration  of  the  consecration  of  the  Parish  Church  to  1 20 
clergymen  and  2,000  people,  and  where  he  received  and  announced 
the  news  of  Judge  De  Veaux's  munificent  bequest  for  De  Veaux 
College,  and  preached  again  in  the  evening  to  4,000  people),  Liver- 
pool (at  a  public  breakfast  given  by  the  Mayor  ' '  in  honour  of  the 
American  Bishops  on  the  eve  of  their  departure"),*  the  Savoy 
Chapel,  and  finally  to  a  farewell  service  at  Liverpool  in  which  the 
Bishops  were  joined  by  Mr.  Keble. 

"Of  the  high  personal  gratification  enjoyed  in  this  visit,  of  its 
instructive  and  beneficial  effect  upon  our  minds,  of  its  animating  and 
cheering  influence  on  our  own  hearts,  and  of  the  rich  spiritual  bless- 
ings which  we  trust  and  pray  will  flow  to  our  own  souls  from  this  inter- 
course and  association  with  our  brethren  in  England,  Scotland  and 
Ireland,  I  need  not  speak.  .  .  We  return  with  stronger  convic- 
tions of  the  stability,  power,  efficiency,  and  influence  of  the  Church 
of  England,  with  a  higher  estimate  of  her  spiritual  character,  educa- 
tional control,  and  intellectual  attainments,  with  firmer  confidence  in 
her  strength  as  the  bulwark  of  Protestantism,  and  in  her  unflinching 
adherence  to  Catholic  truth  as  presented  in  the  Bible  and  maintained 
in  the  Creeds,  Liturgy,  Offices  and  Articles  of  the  Prayer  Book  ;  with 
more  earnest  desire  for  synodical  union  and  intercourse  between  the 
independent  churches  of  England  and  Ireland,  Scotland  and  the  Uni- 
ted States,  and  stirred  to  more  fervent  prayers  for  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, that  the  blessings  of  the  Holy  Ghost  may  rest  on  all  her  missions, 
her  societies  and  institutions,  her  universities,  colleges  and  schools, 
her  parishes  and  congregations,  and  on  her  Bishops  and  all  her  Cler- 
gy and  Laity,  to  the  widest  extent,  and  to  the  end  of  time."t 


*  An  "  American  Bishop"  was  a  rarer  sight  in  England  then  than  now.  The 
Bishop  told  me  that  on  their  arrival  in  London  they  found  the  streets  placarded 
with  "The  American  ^Bishops  are  coming!" — -"The  American  Bishops  are  in 
town  !"  as  if  they  were  a  new  and  remarkable  kind  of  wild  animals. 

tjoum.  1852,  p.  58.    I  must   refer  to  p.  48  for  the   Bishop's  account  of  his 
visit  with  Mrs.  De  Lancey  to  an  Irish  cabin  near  Culloville,  where   "the  inmates 


Dk  Veaux  College  199 

The  Convention  of  1852  met  at  Syracuse,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Shelton 
presiding  in  the  absence  of  the  Bishop.  Appropriate  resolutions 
were  adopted  expressing  the  satisfaction  of  the  Diocese  at  the  Bishop's 
journey  and  reception  in  England,  and  providing  for  the  expenses  of 
the  visit,  for  which  Si. 500  was  readily  given,  although  the  Venerable 
S.  P.  G.  had  already  undertaken  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  Del- 
egation from  the  American  Church.* 

The  Committee  on  the  Increase  of  the  Episcopate  Fund  reported  a 
good  beginning  of  their  work  (about  $4,500)  and  were  continued. 

The  bequest  of  Judge  De  Veaux,  of  Niagara  Falls,  of  all  his  resid- 
uary estate,  for  the  foundation  of  "a  benevolent  Institution  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Convention,"  was  announced  by  Dr.  Van  Ingen, 
and  some  portions  of  the  Will  read  by  Mr.  Peter  A.  Porter,  one  of 
the  executors. 

This  Will,  under  the  provisions  of  which  De  Veaux  College  was 
founded,  is  dated  August  3,  1852,  the  day  of  Judge  De  Veaux's 
decease.  More  than  a  year  before  (June  15.  185 1)  he  had  made  a 
Will  bequeathing  his  property  to  Bishop  De  Lancey  and  Dr.  .Shelton, 
in  trust  for  any  one  of  five  objects  named  which  they  might  deter- 
mine.    These  were 

"  I.  A  Hospital,  Asylum  or  Home  for  sick,  wounded,  disabled 
and  aged  persons  of  either  sex,  without  regard  to  nationality,  to  colour 
or  to  sect. 

"2.  A  Home  for  Aged  Persons  of  ages  not  less  than  sixty  years, 
for  both  or  one  sex  only,  or  for  the  support  and  education  of  orphan 
children. 

"3.     A  Church  Asylum  for  female  Church  Communicants. 

''4.  A  College  or  Missionary  School  for  the  education  of  young 
men  of  the  African,  Indian  or  other  coloured  races,  for  missionaries 
among  their  own  people,  both  within  the  United  States  and  abroad. 

"5.  A  Home  for  Superannuated  Clergymen  of  not  less  than  sixty 
years  of  age." 

In  the  year  intervening  between  these  Wills,  and  undoubtedly  with 


were  astonished  and  gratified,  as  shown  by  the  Irish  warmth  of  expression  and 
compliment,"  and  where  the  Fiishop  had  to  confess  his  "utter  inability  to  supply 
them  with  any  of  the  tobacco  which  they  seemed  to  identify  with  the  presence 
of  an  American,"  but  which  he  "repudiates  in  all  its  forms." 

•Joum.  1S52,  p.  60.  In  the  Memoir  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Van  Ingen  already 
referred  to,  will  be  found  (pp.  41-66)  a  great  number  of  interesting  details  of  this 
visit  from  his  own  facile  pen.      I  wish  I  could  give  some  of  ihem  here. 


2  00  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

the  counsel  of  Bishop  De  Lancey,  and  probably  of  Dr.  Shelton  (with 
both  of  whom  he  was  in  intimate  relations)  Judge  De  Veaux  had 
reached  a  more  definite  conclusion  as  to  the  final  disposition  of  his 
estate  ;  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  shape  which  it  took  was 
largely  owing  to  the  judgment  of  Bishop  De  Lancey.*  It  is  remark- 
able that  neither  the  Will  itself,  nor  the  Act  of  Incorporation  founded 
upon  it,  give  any  indication  whether  the  beneficiaries  of  the  Institu- 
tion are  to  be  boys,  or  girls,  or  both.  It  was  unquestionably  Bishop 
De  Lancey  who  decided  this  point. 

The  College  was  incorporated  by  special  Act,  April  15,  1853,  and 
the  Trustees,  of  whom  the  Bishop  was  Chairman,  began  in  1855  the 
erection  of  a  main  building  on  the  estate,  which  was  completed  and 
opened  in  the  spring  of  1857.  In  that  year  they  report  to  the  Con- 
vention a  property  of  $154,432  yielding  income,  and  real  estate  esti- 
mated at  $36,213,  exclusive  of  the  "domain"  of  330  acres.  The 
Rev.  Henry  Gregory,  D.D.,  was  the  "  President,"  the  Rev.  Israel 
Foote  "  Professor,"  and  Edward  R.  Welles  "  Tutor."  Thirty  pupils 
had  been  admitted  at  the  opening  of  May  20,  1857.  "  In  construct- 
ing and  furnishing  the  building,  and  supporting  the  Institution  thus 
far,"  they  report,  "  only  income  has  been  used,  and  it  is  the  intention 
of  the  Trustees  to  use  income  only  m  maintaining  the  Institution."! 
The  Daily  Service,  with  a  special  commemoration  of  the  Founder, 
was  an  established  feature  of  the  school. 

It  is  a  yet  unsolved  problem  whether  the  intentions  of  the  Founder 
were  fairly  carried  out  in  the  original  constitution  and  management 
of  the  School.  The  appointment  of  the  " President,  "$  if  it  was 
suggested  by  the  Bishop,  was  one  of  the  very  few  instances  in  which 
his  judgment  was  at  fault ;  for  it  was,  so  to  speak,  a  case  of  the  "square 
man  in  a  round  hole."  A  man  of  great  ability,  remarkably  success- 
ful in  all  his  Ministry,  self-denying  almost  to  asceticism,  warm-heart- 
ed and  generous.  Dr.  Gregory  was  for  all  this  not  the  man  to  manage 
a  school  of  boys  ;  he  could  not  understand  their  nature  or  their  needs 
of  body  and  mind  ;  he  was  physically  unequal  to  school   discipline. 


*See  the  Introduction  to  the  Statutes  of  De  Veaux  College,  1899,  p.  5. 

t  Joum.  1857,  p.  54. 

X  As  the  Head  Master  was  called  for  many  years,  by  what  seems  to  be  a  mis- 
apprehension of  the  Act  of  Incorporation  ;  in  which  the  title  clearly  refers  to 
the  Chairman  of  the  Trustees. 


>  \MI    I   I      I  »l      \   K Al   \ 


I)k  VkaUX  COl.l.EGE  20 1 

A  visit  to  the  school  in  those  first  years  left  a  painful  impression  of 
extreme  economy  -  if  it  could  be  called  by  that  name  -  like  that  of  a 
county  almshouse  ;  so  far  at  least  as  one  could  judge  by  their  table 
and  their  clothing.  Thai  the  boys  were  not  altogether  happy  appears 
from  the  fact  that  "runaways"  were  not  infrequent  and  were  per- 
sistent, as  shown  by  the  early  records.  Whether  this  ill-judged  econ- 
omy, or  rather  parsimony,  as  it  now  seems,  was  the  idea  of  the  Head 
or  of  the  Trustees  it  would  be  difficult  to  say.  After  two  years  of 
faithful  but  hardly  effective  .service,  Dr.  (}regory  resigned  from  con- 
tinued ill-health,  and  under  his  successor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Maunsell  Van 
Rensselaer,  a  very  different  system  of  management  began.  'I'he  later 
story  of  De  Veaux  belongs  to  a  later  Chapter. 

The  first  week  after  Bishop  De  Lancey's  return  from  England  in 
the  fall  of  1852  was  spent  in  the  meeting  of  the  Bishops  to  consider 
the  presentment  of  the  Bishop  of  New  jersey,  happily  unsuccessful, 
as  was  the  renewed  effort  of  the  following  year,  ending  in  the  sub- 
stantial vindication  of  that  noble  but  not  always  prudent  pioneer  in 
the  cause  of  Christian  Education. 

I  have  said  elsewhere  *  that  "1  shall  never  forget  the  glow  of  satis- 
faction and  happiness  which  lighted  up  Bishop  De  Lancey's  face, 
when  he  told  me  [March  6,  1853]  of  the  purchase  he  had  just  made" 
of  the  site  and  building  in  Geneva  which  became  S.  Peter's  Chapel, 
so  named  by  him  "  after  his  much  loved  church  of  other  days  in 
Philadelphia."  One  week  later  the  Chapel  was  ready  and  opened 
for  its  first  service  (Passion  Sunday,  March  13),  the  little  beginning 
which  has  since  grown  into  such  noble  dimensions  as  his  Memorial. 
I  have  noted  also  from  the  Bishop's  own  words  that  in  this  enterprise 
he  had  the  hearty  sympathy  of  the  good  Rector  of  Trinity  Church 
(William  H.  A.  Bissell,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Vermont,  the  most  per- 
fect example  of  a  true  Parish  Priest  that  it  has  been  my  happiness  to 
know)  and  his  people.  Dr.  Bissell  himself  gave  constant  and  unself- 
ish ministrations  in  the  new  .Mission  through  all  its  early  years,  and 
Drs.  Hale,  Wilson  and  Mctcalf,  then  of  the  Faculty  of  Hobart  College, 
were  always  ready  to  add  their  services ;  but  the  Bishop  himself 
always  officiated  at  S.  Peter's  whenever  his  other  duties  permitted, 
until  the  Mission  had  a  Priest  of  its  own.     The  Chapel  (which  had 


'The  Rankine  Memorial  House,"  1902,  p.  4. 


202  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

been  bought  from  an  unsuccessful  Presbyterian  Mission)  was  a  little 
frame  building  of  no  architectural  character,  but  was  neatly  fitted  up 
for  service  by  the  Bishop,  and  later  improved  by  the  gift  of  a  chancel, 
bell-turret,  stained  glass  and  furniture,  (mostly  gifts  from  himself  or 
his  family,)  and  so  served  a  good  purpose  till  its  successor  was  erected 
by  the  Diocese  as  the  Founder's  Memorial. 


CHAPTER   XXXII 
PROVINCES:  THE  TITHE:    PARISH    DUTIES 

FKORE  going   on,   as  I    purpose,  to  tell  something  of 
the  general  work  and   progress  of  the  Diocese  in  this 


^-?    portion  of  Bishoj)    De  Lancey's   Episcopate,  from  1850 
on,  a  word  should  be   said   on  two  points   in    which  he 
placed  himself  on    record    before  his  own    Diocese  and 
the  whole   Church. 

1.  In  the  (}eneral  Convention  of  1850,  Bishop  De  Lancey  offered 
the  following  resolution,  which  was  laid  on  the  table  for  the  next 
General  Convention  : 

Hesoh-ed,  The  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  concurring, 
that  a  joint  Committee,  to  consist  of  five  Bishops,  and  of  five  Cler- 
gymen and  five  Laymen,  be  appointed  to  report  to  the  next  Triennial 
General  Convention,  on  the  expediency  of  arranging  the  Dioceses, 
according  to  geographical  position,  into  four  Provinces,  to  be  desig- 
nated the  Eastern,  Northern,  Southern  and  Western  Provinces,  and 
to  be  united  under  a  General  Convention  or  Council  of  the  Provinces, 
having  exclusive  control  over  the  Prayer  Book,  Articles,  Offices  and 
Homilies  of  this  Church,  to  be  held  once  every  twenty  years.* 

In  his  address  to  the  Diocesan  Convention  of  1854,  the  Bishop 
says  : 

"  The  subject  of  dividing  the  Church  in  this  country  mto  Provinces, 
originally  submitted  by  me  to  the  General  Convention  of  1850,  was 
brought  up  at  the  recent  General  Convention.  A  resolution  of 
inquiry  was  adopted  by  the  House  of  Bishops,  and  afterwards  recon- 
sidered and  referred  to  the  next  General  Convention.  I  look  to  this 
measure  as  one  main  source  of  union,  strength,  and  permanency  for 
our  Church  system  in  this  country.'' 

Bishop  De  Lancey  was  then  the  first  to  propose  and  distinctly 
advocate  a  Provincial  System  for  the  Church  in  this  country  ;  although 
in  the  idea  of  such  a  grouping  of  dioceses  he  had  been  anticipated,  as 
we  have  seen,t  by  President  Hale  in  1837,  and  still  earlier  by  Bishop 


*Jour.  Gen.    Conv.    1850,   p.    146.     (House  of  Bishops,    13th  day,  afternoon 
session.) 

t  P.  117  supra. 


204  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

White,  in  the  final  notes  to  his  Memoirs  of  the  Church.*  Fifteen 
years  passed  by  before  any  serious  consideration  was  given  to  the 
subject  in  the  General  Convention,  (after  Bishop  De  Lancey's  decease,) 
and  debates  in  both  Houses  prolonged  through  a  number  of  years 
have  resulted  thus  far  in  nothing  but  the  weak  and  practically  ineffec- 
tive Canon  on  "Federate  Councils."  In  this  matter,  as  in  the  ques- 
tion of  the  See  Episcopate  and  of  Courts  of  Appeal,  or  any  settled 
judicial  system,  the  Church  is  still  weighted  down,  so  to  speak,  and 
suffers  great  practical  loss,  under  the  timid  conservatism  of  her  mem- 
bers, but  mainly  of  her  Bishops.  All  the  more  honour  to  Bishop  De 
Lancey  for  being  at  least  half  a  century  in  advance  of  his  brethren  in 
the  Episcopate  in  this  important  movement. 

2.  In  his  Address  of  1853,  after  urging,  as  so  often  before,  the 
duty  of  more  liberal  support  of  the  Missionary  and  other  work  of  the 
Diocese,  and  especially  of  the  parochial  clergy  to  enforce  it  upon  their 
people,  the  Bishop  rises  to  a  higher  principle  underlying  the  whole 
matter  of  Church  support  and  Christian  giving. 

"  In  this  connection,"  he  says,  "there  is  a  view  of  Christian  duty 
and  obligation  affecting  all  of  us,  both  clergymen  and  laymen.  I 
allude  to  the  question,  what  portion  of  his  pecuniary  means  a  Chris- 
tian man  ought,  under  the  Gospel,  to  bestow  upon  objects  of  Chris- 
tian benevolence,  on  Church  objects,  on  religious  enterprises,  the 
sustentation  of  the  cause  of  God  in  the  various  forms  in  which  it 
appeals  to  us,  as  the  Ministry,  Public  Worship,  Christian  Missions, 
Christian  Education,  and  the  aid  of  the  wants  of  our  brethren,  both 
temporal  and  spiritual. 

"  Some  persons,  you  know,  throw  aside  the  question  as  one  not 
worthy  of  settlement,  and  give  haphazard,  as  feeling,  passion,  exigency 
and  exterior  urging  may  induce.  Others  aim  to  give  liberally , but  without 
any  rule  upon  the  subject ;  others  never  institute  a  comparison  between 
the  amount  they  actually  give,  and  the  amount  they  ought  to  give. 
Others  regard  all  such  gifts  to  God  as  an  interference  with  worldly 


*  "The  time  will  probably  come, but  is  not  likely  to  be  soon,  when  a  representa- 
tion to  each  House  will  be  constituted  by  deputation  from  sundry  districts,  into 
which  the  very  extensive  country  occupied  by  us  will  become  ecclesiastically 
divided.  This  may  dictate  another  profitable  arrangement — that  of  an  ecclesias- 
tical assembling  in  each  district,  in  each  of  the  two  years  intervening  between 
every  two  General  Conventions.  The  assemblies  now  proposed  need  not  be 
limited  to  the  choice  of  representatives,  and  may  profitably  receive  appeals  from 
diocesan  determinations  in  matters  of  discipline." 

Memoirs  of  the  Church,  p.  466  (ed.  iJ 


^1  tl  ^newn  65  i^t^t  ^r(9«nl»,  Th^u  on    Z^-^'  ^  ^  r- ^  the 

7]k-<i-rv     ^"/^  ''^  day  ul    Z'*  i.  ^  —    in  the  year  of  our  Lord 

one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  /*/'*/     '^''  *'*-  in  ^  I  C   f  <.  Church, 

/C<^  e.ki  il-c^  Jh  /I.  II,  fcu.t.  in  the  D(OCfsr  of  mtfltrm  Xtto=¥otrft,  our  beloved  in 
Christ, 

•;/     ■ 

was  by  me  rightly  and  canonically  Ordained  and  made  3.        •/    f^t  fy  (  |  being 

well  assured  of  his  virtuous  and  pious  life  and  conversation,  and  competent  learning,  and  knowledge 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures ;  and  he  having,  in  my  presence,  freely  and  voluntarily  declared  that  he  be- 
lieves the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  to  be  the  Word  of  God,  and  to  contain 
all  things  necessary  to  salvation  ;  and  having  also  solemnly  engaged  to  conform  to  the  doctrines  and 
Worship  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America. 

C-n   2!^tStfiH0np  ilvItjtrtOf,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  ^id  seal, 
at  A'    <-  k  c.}  Lc .  lljis  said//<  />-  /,  L^/j;^     day 

of    J  I*  'i<L      .    .  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thou- 

sand eight  hundred  and  h- C  *-*j    '''■►-«'<-  -  -  and  in  ihc 

Jx-//  c^  i^  /  h.        -        y^'"'  of  'ny  consecration. 

BISHOP  or  Tae  diocmb  op  western  new-vokk. 


The  Christian  Tenth  205 

plans  of  profit,  wealth  and  stlf-indulgcncc.  Others  purpose  to  give 
largely,  by  bequests  to  benevolent  objects  in  their  wills,  and  therefore 
give  little  or  nothing  to  current  objects  of  religious  enterprise  and 
duty.  Others  allow  themselves  to  be  controlled  by  prejudice,  caprice, 
or  partiality,  and  close  their  hands  to  entire  classes  of  Christian  objects, 
and  sometimes  even  to  all. 

"  But  on  this  subject,  as  in  all  others  which  rfclaie  to  our  Christian 
duties,  there  are  principles  to  guide  us  in  the  right  path,  and  the 
faithful  contemplation  and  application  of  them  will  neither  abate  our 
zeal,  nor  mar  our  moral  and  spiritual  progress. 

'•  Putting  aside  the  question  as  to  unjust  acquisitions,  for  which 
the  law  of  Christ  prescribes  that  restitution  should  be  made,  and  con- 
fining ourselves  wholly  to  the  que.stion.  how  much  of  the  income  of 
a  religious  man  should  be  given  to  the  cause  of  Cod,  I  answer,  that 
if  we  look  to  the  example  of  Abraham,  Jacob  and  Mo.ses  ;  if  we 
advert  to  the  provisions  which  God  Himself  prescribed  for  the  Church 
under  the  Law  ;  if  we  fairly  interpret  the  ordinance  founded  on  the 
analogy  of  the  Mosaic  rule,  that  they  who  preach  the  Gospel  should 
live  of  the  Gospel,  as  they  who  served  at  the  Altar  were  partakers 
with  the  Altar  ;  if  we  advert  to  the  liberality  of  the  early  followers  of 
Christ,  by  which  a  distribution  was  made  as  every  man  had  need  ;  if  we 
call  to  mind  that  for  two  hundred  years  after  C'hrist,  it  was  the  spontane- 
ous rule  and  action  of  Christians  to  provide  for  the  .Ministry,  the  worship 
of  God,  and  the  extension  of  the  Church  ;  if  we  refer  to  the  published 
views  of  the  Christian  Fathers  of  the  earliest  ages,  in  their  interpreta- 
tion of  the  rule  of  duty  ;  and  if  to  all  this  we  annex  the  fact  indis- 
putable, that  all  we  have  comes  from  God's  beneficence  to  us,  I  think 
we  may  reach  the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  one  amongst  us,  but  may 
rightly  and  safely  adopt  the  principle  that  the  tenth  of  his  income  is 
the  amount  which  he  may  and  should  as  a  Christian  man,  give  to  the 
cause  of  that  God  who  has  given  to  him  the  \\.\.  that  he  possesses  or 
controls. 

"  The  carrying  out  of  this  principle  by  the  members  of  almost  any 
establi-shed  congregation  in  the  Diocese,  would  amply  sustain  it  in 
health  and  vigour  in  all  its  departments  of  Ministry,  Edifice,  Schools, 
Charities  and  Public  Worship.  If  adopted  throughout  the  Diocese, 
it  would  give  an  impetus  to  our  Missions,  to  Education,  to  the  Par- 
ishes, to  our  Sunday  Schools,  and  to  our  various  Institutions,  that 
would  inspirit  all  beyond  almost  an  estimate.  If  extended  to  the 
Church  at  large,  it  would  invigorate,  sustain,  and  amplify  all  her 
enterprises  for  the  good  of  man  and  the  glory  of  God. 

' '  For  the  current  demands  for  means  for  the  sustentation  of  the 
Ministry,  the  Parish,  the  Diocese,  and  the  Church  at  large,  from  this 
day  forth  the  Christian  Tenth  would  be  ample. 

"  But  besides  the  giving  of  the  Christian  Tenth  to  God  from  this 
time  forth,  there  is  another  view  to  be  taken. 


2o6  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

"  Let  a  Christian  man,  who  for  his  life  past  has  neglected  acting 
on  this  rule  from  ignorance  or  inattention,  now  make  an  honest  esti- 
mate of  what  has  been  his  annual  income  since  the  time  when  he  began 
to  receive  an  income  from  his  labours  or  possessions.  Let  him  place 
by  the  amount  thus  ascertained,  the  sum  of  his  actual  contributions 
to  the  cause  of  God  in  its  several  departments.  If  such  contributions 
have  amounted  to  the  tefith  of  his  income  during  his  life,  let  him 
heartily  thank  God  for  having  by  His  grace  kept  him  up  to  the  measure 
of  his  duty  in  this  respect.  But  if  not,  if  he  finds,  as,  alas  !  most  of 
us  will  find,  that  a  heavy  balance  is  against  him  in  this  account,  let 
him  regard  the  deficiency  as  a  debt  due  to  His  Maker,  and  commence 
at  once  the  effort  to  repay  to  God  what  he  has  unhappily  withheld. 

"Faithfully  ascertained  on  the  part  of  all  of  us,  here  will  be  a  fund 
in  the  Church  to  meet  munificently  the  demands  made  upon  us  for 
extra  contributions  for  Christian  Colleges  and  Education,  for  the  erec- 
tion of  churches,  and  the  establishment  of  hospitals,  asylums  and 
schools.  So  that,  my  brethren,  from  these  two  sources,  the  Chris- 
tian Tenth  for  the  future,  faithfully  given,  and  the  balance  of  the 
Tenth  withheld  in  the  past,  now  faithfully  and  gradually  repaid,  may 
be  derived  the  ample  ways  and  means  for  the  Church  of  Christ 
amongst  us,  not  only  for  current  and  every-day  demands, — the  sup- 
port of  her  Ministry,  Officers  and  Services, — but  also  for  those  great 
objects  of  necessity,  interest  and  usefulness,  the  payment  of  Church 
debts,  the  expansion  of  her  Missions,  the  support  of  her  Seminaries, 
Colleges  and  Schools,  and  the  exigencies  of  Christian  beneficence, 
— for  which  she  in  duty  and  necessity  so  often  appeals  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Church . 

"  Your  devout  attention  to  these  views  is  earnestly  invoked."* 

The  Convention  seems  to  have  been  so  far  stirred  up  by  the  Bish- 
op's exhortation  as  to  appoint  a  Committee  of  Laymen  to  report  on 
the  inadequacy  of  the  support  of  the  clergy  and  the  neglect  of  prompt 
payment  of  their  salaries.  This  Committee,  through  their  chair- 
man, the  Hon.  Joseph  Benedict,  a  zealous  layman  of  Calvary 
Church,  Utica,  reported  the  next  year  quite  fully  on  the  subject. 
They  state,  in  substance,  that  the  clergy  are  for  the  most  part  receiv- 
ing salaries  fixed  when  the  cost  of  living  was  much  less,  and  not 
increased  either  in  proportion  to  the  increased  ability  of  the  parishes 
or  the  advance  in  prices  ;  that  the  clergy  have  a  right  to  such  sup- 
port as  will  enable  them  to  live  as  their  office  demands,  and  free 
from  the  necessity  of  "  sharp  bargaining  "  for  household  and  other 
supplies  ;  that  parishes  which  have  withheld  a  just  support  from  their 


*  Journ.  W.  N.  Y.  1853,  p.  44. 


CnUR<  H     SlHM'OKI    :     Hro  llIKRIU>OnS  207 

Pastors  should,  according  to  Scripture  rule.  "  restore  fourfold  ;'thal 
the  clergyman's  salary  should  not  he  allowed  to  he  in  arrears,  but  on 
the  contrary  should  be  paid  in  advance.  The  causfs  of  failure  in  such 
duty  they  believe  to  be  the  want  of  any  proper  standard  of  giving  ; 
the  commercial  spirit  growing  out  of  the  pew  system  ;  unworthy  per- 
.sonal  considerations  :  simple  thoughtlessness.  One  serious  effect  is 
to  deter  young  men  from  entering  on  a  work  which  they  see 
so  slightly  esteemed  and  ujiheld  by  those  whom  they  look  up  to  as 
examples.  They  propose  that  this  report  shall  be  read  in  every 
parish  (I  fear  that  very  few  clergymen  obeyed  this  recommendation); 
that  a  report  of  salary  be  included  in  the  annual  Parochial  Report ; 
and  that  hereafter  all  salaries  be  paid  "semi-annually  in  advance." 
And  thev  end  with  a  resolution  which  was  adopted,  and  was  the  only 
action  of  the  Convention  on  the  subject,  endorsing  the  Bishop's 
recommendation  of  a  Thank.sgiving  Day  Donation  in  every  Parish,  to 
which  I  have  referred  in  Ch.  XXVI.  p.  163  sup.  (This  recommen- 
dation was  part  of  the  Bishop's  Address  of  this  year,   1854.)* 

Another  paragraph  of  the  Address  of  1854  is  curious  in  the  light 
of  later  years  as  showing  how  strongly,  with  all  his  large-heartedness, 
the  Bishop  clung  to  some  of  the  old  ways  of  thinking  which  he  had 
inherited  from  Bishop  White  and  Bishop   Hobart  : 

"  The  establishment  of  Brotherhoods  and  Sisterhoods  as  organiza- 
tions in  the  Church  I  cannot  but  regard  as  alike  a  needless,  cumber- 
some and  hazardous  instrumentality  of  usefulness  ;  needless,  as  its 
objects  of  benevolence  can  be  met  by  existing  agencies  faithfully 
applied;  eitmbersotne.  as  demanding,  in  time,  means  and  efforts,  more 
than  it  is  likely  to  yield  ;  and  hazardous,  as  forming  a  Church  within 
a  Church,  and  what  may  readily  become  a  sectional,  exclusive,  party 
organization,  proving  itself  inimical  to  real  unity  in  the  great  Brother- 
hood of  Christ,  that  one  Holy.  Catholic  and  Apostolic  Church  with 
which  all  may  well  be  content."! 

And  then  he  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  subject  already  referred  to, — 
the  support  of  the  Clerg}'  ;  and  I  must  quote  a  few  of  his  words  as 
additional  to  what  I  have  said  (Ch.  XXVI.)  of  the  condition  of  the  Dio- 
cese in  those  days  in  this  respect. 

"  I  speak  in  behalf  of  a  faithful,  laborious  and  self-sacrificing  body 
of  men  when  I  most  earnestly  urge  the  Laity  to  consider  in   their  re- 


*See  Journ.  \V.  N.  V.   1S54.  p.  45:  and  for  the  Committee's  Report,  p.  5j. 
t  Joum.  1854,  p.  45. 


2o8  Diocese  of  Western   New  York 

spective  Parishes  how  seriously  and  painfully  the  condition  of  the 
Clergy  is  affected  by  the  increased  and  increasing  expense  of  the  very 
necessaries  of  life.*  In  many  items  it  has  doubled  within  a  few 
years. 

"  In  this  Diocese,  as  you  all  know,  there  is  no  excess  in  the  pay- 
ment of  the  Clergy  for  their  services.  The  money  salary  raised  by 
the  parishes  themselves  by  pew-rents  or  by  subscription,  varies  from 
one  hundred  dollars  in  the  feeble  country  churches  to  nearly  two 
thousand  in  some  three  or  four  city  parishes.  The  average  is  from 
$350  to  $400.  It  is  a  matter  of  wonder  how  the  individual  expenses, 
the  clothing  and  feeding  of  their  families,  and  the  education  of  their 
children,  apart  from  all  reference  to  books  for  their  improvement, 
can  be  secured  on  their  very  limited  incomes,  without  incurring  that 
bane  of  clerical  influence,  a  debt.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that 
they  should  listen  so  readily  to  proposals  to  remove  to  other  posts 
which  promise  (often  fallaciously)  enlarged  means  of  sustenance,  and 
the  avoidance  of  impending  debt. 

' '  The  true  remedy  for  all  this  is  undoubtedly  an  increase  of  the 

REGULAR  STATED  SALARIES  OF  THE  CLERGY,   PUNCTUALLY  PAID. 

"  In  some  few  cases,  the  Lord  remember  them  for  good  !  the  par- 
ishes have  increased  the  salaries  to  meet  this  increased  expense  of 
living.  But  in  the  great  majority  of  cases,  nothing  adequate  has  been 
done  or  attempted  in  this  respect. "t 

Three  years  later  Bishop  De  Lancey  published  a  little  pamphlet 
entitled  "  Parish  Duties;  a  Guide  to  Wardens  and  Vestrymen,  in  a 
Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Laity."  It  was  republished,  I  think  more  than 
once,  and  widely  distributed,  but  is,  I  fear,  a  rare  book  now. 

It  begins  with  the  general  structure  of  a  Parish  (giving  legal  instruc- 
tions and  forms  for  organization,  &c.),  its  relations  to  the  Diocese, 
officers,  their  powers  and  duties;  then  considers  "how,  under  our 
Parochial  System,  the  energies  of  any  Parish  may  be  properly  devel- 
oped." First  as  to  calling  a  Rector  ;  in  which  he  strongly  reprobates 
the  common  practice  of  asking  clergymen  to  officiate  as  candidates. 
Then  he  specifies  various  duties,  each  one  of  which  should  be  assigned 
to  one  of  the  Vestry,  and  gives  directions  for  their  fulfillment :  i .  In 
Temporalities.  (As  to  the  Rector's  salary,  &c.)  2.  In  the  Sunday 
School.  (One  of  the  Vestry  should  be  Superintendent.)  3.  In 
Arrivals  and  Accessions  of  Persons  to  the  Village.  4.  In  Attention 
to  Strangers  at  the  Church  Door.     5.     In  the  Parish  Collections  for 


*It  should  be  noted  that  1851-5  were  years  of  "mflation,"  hnmediately  pre- 
ceding the  disastrous  financial  collapse  and  "  panic  "  of  1857.  In  1855  I  paid 
$12  a  barrel  for  flour  ;  in  the  winter  of  1857-8  it  was  between  $5  and  $6. 

t  Joum.  1S54,  p.  45. 


SAMUEL  HANSON  COXE,  D.D. 


Parish  Duties  209 

Church  objects.  6.  In  the  Distribution  of  Books  and  Tracts  in  the 
Parish.  7.  In  the  Schools  of  the  Parish,  and  particularly  in  the 
guiding  of  competent  and  qualihed  youth  towards  the  Ministry.  8. 
In  the  Care  of  the  Furniture  of  the  Church.  9.  In  the  Music  of 
the  Church.  (  Here  he  quotes  at  length  the  very  plain  words  of  the 
Pastoral  Letter  of  the  Hou.se  of  Bishops  of  1856.)  10.  In  Atten- 
tion to  the  Poor.  Sick  and  Destitute  of  the  Parish.  In  each  of  these 
departments  a  Vestryman  is  to  be  the  Chairman  of  a  Committee  "  of 
both  sexes  ' '  appointed  by  the  Rector.  Vestry  meetings  to  be  held 
quarterly.  Annual  statements  of  all  departments  to  be  given  by  the 
Rector  at  Easter.  '  •  Rector.  Wardens,  Vestrymen  and  Congregation  all 
to  feel  that  they  constitute  a  Church  Brotherhood  and  Sisterhood,  under 
an  organization  at  once  simple  and  effective.  The  whole  body  to 
strengthen  the  Rector's  hands  by  punctuality  at  church,  by  full 
respon.ses  in  the  services,  by  devout  attention  to  the  preaching,  by 
regularly  communing,  by  observance  of  Festivals  and  Fasts,  and 
by  presenting  an  uniform  example  of  earnest,  devout,  holy  and  con- 
sistent members  of  the  Church." 

Then  the  Bishop  goes  on  to  answer  objections.  I  wish  I  could  give 
more  from  these  admirable  counsels.  I  need  not  say  how  careful 
the  Bishop  is  through  them  all  to  guard  the  rights  of  the  Rector,  and 
to  recognize  his  responsibility  for  leadership  in  all  parochial  work  in 
the  fullest  extent.  Probably  some  of  the  details  of  the  Bishop's  jilan 
may  be  considered  as  not  altogether  suited  to  the  ways  and  circum- 
stances of  the  Twentieth  Century  ;  but  I  am  sure  that  many  Vestries 
and  Parishes  have  been,  and  many  more  might  be.  greatly  benefited 
by  an  earnest  effort  to  work  on  the  principles  which  he  sets  forth.* 

*  A  little  scheme  of  "Vestry  By-Laws"  adopted  In  the  writer's  own  Parish  a 
few  years  ago,  and  afterwards  printed  on  a  leaflet,  follows  generally  the  plan  of 
Bishop  De  Lancey's  Pastoral,  and  has  been  found  useful  in  several  Parishes 
besides  the  one  for  which  it  was  prepared. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII 

WESTERN    NEW    YORK    CLERGY   OF  1849-59 

|OMETHING  must  be  said  now  of  the  clergy — or  some 
of  them — who  were  co-workers  with  Bishop  De  Lancey 
in  the  second  decade  of  his  Episcopate.  And  what 
can  be  said  here  must  necessarily  leave  out  many  more 
names  than  are  mentioned,  and  many,  doubtless,  as 
well  worthy  of  mention  as  these.  An  ecclesiastical  biography  of 
Western  New  York  clergy  would  be  an  interesting  book  for  some, 
and  probably  a  dull  one  for  many  more  ;  but  whether  desirable  or 
not,  it  is  not  possible  here. 

The  venerable  editor  of  the  Gospel  Messenger,  Dr.  Rudd,  died  in 
1849,  and  therefore  does  not  come  into  this  period.  His  pupil  and 
successor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  A.  Matson  (afterwards  so  well  known 
as  editor  of  the  Church  Journal  in  succession  to  Dr.  John  Henry 
Hopkins)  continued  that  excellent  paper  on  nearly  the  same  lines, 
and  with  great  ability,  till  1861,  carrying  on  at  the  same  time  an 
active  parochial  work  in  Utica  and  its  vicinity,  and  serving  also 
for  many  years  as  the  Secretary  of  the  Diocese  in  succession  to  Dr. 
Pierre  Alexis  Proal.  The  Nestor  of  the  Diocese  almost  from  its 
beginning  was  Dr.  William  Shelton  of  Buffalo,  whose  rectorship  of 
more  than  half  a  century  in  S.  Paul's  awakens  a  host  of  memories  of 
good  works  and  "  good  things  "  which  will,  I  fear,  never  be  seen  in 
print ;  with  a  blunt  and  downright  manner  of  speech  which  continu- 
ally offended  those  who  did  not  know  him,  and,  with  his  absolute  sin- 
cerity and  generosity,  endeared  him  to  all  who  did.  But  we  shall 
hear  more  of  him  later. 

I  have  said  something  already  of  his  colleague  in  Buffalo,  Edward 
Ingersoll,  a  man  utterly  different  in  externals,  but  in  sincerity  and 
goodness  of  heart,  as  in  lifelong  affection,  a  true  brother  to  Dr. 
Shelton,  Montgomery  Schuyler,  afterwards  so  honoured  and  beloved 
in  Christ  Church,  S.  Louis,  was  succeeded  in  S.  John's  Church,  Buf- 
falo, in  1857,  by  William  B.  Ashley,  who  had  been  ten  years  Rector 
of  S.  Paul's,  Syracuse,  in  succession  to  Dr.  Gregory,  and  who  attained 
the  very  highest  standing  in  parochial  and  diocesan  work  here,  as  he 


Clergy  of   1849-59  211 

did  afterwards  in  Milwaukee.  One  remembers  best  of  Dr.  Ashley,  as 
we  knew  him  here,  his  peculiar  gentleness  and  sweetness  of  disposi- 
tion, which  seemed  apparent  even  in  features  as  well  as  manner  ; 
but  he  had  the  making  of  a  martyr  also.  In  Batavia  there  was  for  twenty 
years  ^he  good  Dr.  Bolles,  ever  full  of  life  and  restless  energy  and 
irresistible  fun — another  who  early  left  the  Diocese  to  be  still  more 
loved  and  venerated  in  later  years  in  what  we  called  "the  West,"  /.  e., 
Cleveland,  Ohio./v^'To  Geneva  came  in  1848,  in  succession  to  Irving, 
Cooke,  and  Ilobart,  William  H.  A.  Bissell,  of  whom  I  have  often 
spoken  as  the  best  Parish  Priest  I  ever  knew,  who,  for  twenty 
years,  till  he  was  called  to  the  Episcopate  of  Vermont,  gave  to  his 
flock  a  devoted  pastoral  care  which  had  its  reward  in  the  beginning 
of  what  Trinity  Church  is  now.  Lloyd  Windsor,  a  Priest  of  the 
Diocese  at  its  organization,  returned  in  1856,  and  from  1859  till  his 
death  thirty  years  later  .was  Rector  of  Christ  Church,  Hornellsville. 
Mis  best  work,  however,  especially  in  diocesan  affairs,  belongs  rather 
to  Bishop  Coxe's  time.  Andrew  Hull  did  for  many  years  a  good 
work  at  New  Berlin  and  Elmira  ;  in  the  former  parish  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Richard  Whittingham,  brother  of  the  great  Bishop  of 
Maryland,  who  added  to  his  parish  work  an  excellent  and  successful 
Girls'  School  ;  equally  notable  as  scholar,  author,  musician  and  Priest. 
William  Sydney  Walker  was  the  faithful  and  beloved  Rector  of  S. 
John's,  Ithaca,  from  1842  to  1865,  twenty-three  years.  Pascal  P. 
Kidder  was  an  active  Missionary  during  nearly  all  his  ministry  of 
fifty-four  years  in  Western  New  York.  Samuel  Hanson  Coxe,  a 
younger  brother  of  the  Bishop,  served  first  at  Cazenovia,  then  at 
Oxford,  and  lastly  for  twenty  years  as  Dr.  Proal's  successor  in  Trinity 
C"hurch,  Utica  ;  a  calm,  quiet  man,  as  different  as  possible  from  his 
impulsive  poet-brother,  with  curious  limitations  of  thought  in  matters 
theological  and  ecclesiastical,  but  with  an  infinite  fund  of  humour, 
and  much  beloved  as  a  Pastor.  Thomas  P.  Tyler,  son  of  the  dis- 
tinguished Chief  Justice  of  Vermont,  intellectually  one  of  the  first 
clergymen  of  his  day,  made  his  splendid  record  as  a  Pastor  through 
twenty  years  in  Fredonia,  later,  in  1854,  succeeding  Dr.  Bolles  at 
Batavia.  Henry  Stanley  must  not  be  forgotten,  though  he  was  away 
from  the  Diocese  through  most  of  this  decade, — one  whom  to  know 
was  to  love. — a  very  "mirror  of  chivalry"  in  absolute  sincerity,  unself- 
ishness, faithfulness  to  the  highest  ideals    of  life,  all  shining  through 


212  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

the  quaintest  exterior  of  features  and  manner  and  the  most  delightful 
absent-minded  habits  ;  his  best  remembered  work  was  at  Whitesboro, 
and  later  in  Little  Falls,  in  the  Diocese  of  Albany.  Dr.  Israel  Foote, 
first  at  Guilford  and  Bainbridge,  then  succeeding  Dr.  Tyler  at  Fre- 
donia,  and  finally  for  twenty-three  years  Rector  of  S. Paul's.  Rochester, 
became  noted  as  an  eloquent  and  fearless  preacher  and  a  successful 
Pastor.  Levi  W.  Norton,  who  came  back  in  his  last  years  to  James- 
town, one  of  his  old  homes  in  the  Diocese,  did  his  most  notable  work 
in  1847-53  i"  the  building  up  of  Trinity  Church,  Watertown,  into  one 
of  the  foremost  parishes  of  Central  New  York.  Timothy  F.  Ward- 
well  spent  twenty-two  of  his  all  too  short  ministry  of  twenty-seven 
years  in  Western  New  York,  almost  all  of  it  in  arduous  and  faithful 
missionary  work  in  Ontario  and  Yates  counties  ;  another  of  those 
noble  and  large-hearted  men  for  whom  Bishop  De  Lancey's  leader- 
ship seemed  to  have  a  special  charm.  Certainly  it  was  so  with  Walter 
Ayrault,  successively  Rector  at  Auburn,  Canandaigua,  and  Oxford, 
and  in  later  years  Chaplain  of  Hobart  College  ;  the  Bishop's  Chap- 
lain in  his  first  visit  in  England,  and  his  special  and  trusted  friend 
ever  afterwards  ;  whose  whole  ministry,  parochial  and  academical, 
was  brightened  with  the  fervour  of  the  earliest  and  best  years  of  the 
"Oxford  Movement,"  and  kindled  it  in  all  who  came  in  contact  with 
him  ;  bringing  lofty  ideals  into  the  commonest  things  of  daily  life  by 
his  charm  of  person  and  conversation.  Benjamin  Wright,  Bishop 
Whipple's  brother-in-law  and  dearest  friend,  had  ended  his  short  but 
faithful  ministry  in  the  Diocese  in  1849  to  give  his  few  remaining 
years  to  Mission  work  in  Florida.  Albert  P.  Smith  gave  nearly  the 
whole  of  his  forty  years'  work  to  the  one  little  parish  of  S.  Peter's,  Caze- 
novia,  not  then  a  summer  resort  as  now  ;  and  what  an  example  it  was 
of  sturdy,  uncompromising  adherence  to  every  jot  and  tittle  of  the 
Church's  doctrine  and  law,  and  fulfillment  of  every  line  of  a  country 
parson's  duty  to  his  flock  !  He  received  from  the  Bishop  him- 
self, through  Hobart  College,  his  Doctor's  degree  as  the  rare  reward 
of  simple  faithfulness  in  humble  and  commonplace  pastoral  work. 
William  H.  Hill  gave  up  a  successful  career  in  the  law  to  become 
Rector  of  another  small  country  parish  (Brown ville),  and  an  able 
writer  for  the  Messenger.  Charles  Arey  was  missionary  at  Westfield  and 
Dunkirk  six  years,  and  later  (1864-75)  at  Fredonia  and  S.  John's, 
Buffalo;  a  man  of  fine  intellect  and  character.     David  H.  Macurdy 


Clergy  ok    1849-59  213 

was  anolluT  of  Hishop  T)e  Lancey's  pupils  at  the  riiivL-rsily  of 
Pemisylvaiiia,  whom  the  Bishop  afterwards  rescued,  so  to  speak,  from 
mercantile  life  to  become  one  of  his  most  devoted  and  efficient  coun- 
try parsons,  two  years  at  Waterloo,  and  eight  (1857-65)  at  Oxford, 
and  who  was  the  Bishop's  first  choice  as  Head  of  the  "  Diocesan 
Training  School  "  in  i860.  Maunsell  Van  Rensselaer  came  into  the 
Diocese  in  1847,  and  was  successively  Rector  of  Mount  Morris, 
Oxford,  and  S.  Paul's.  Rochester,  President  of  De  Veaux  College 
and  of  Hobart,  in  all  nearly  thirty  years,  doing  excellent  work  and 
making  warm  friends  in  all  those  places  ;  not  brilliant,  but  of  sterling 
qualities,  another  who  had  the  Bishop's  special  confidence  and  affec- 
tion from  first  to  last.  Theodore  Marsh  Bishop,  one  of  Dr.  Wilson's 
first  students  in  Divinity,  spent  nearly  all  of  his  forty  years'  ministry  in 
the  Diocese,  and  had  its  highest  honours,  well  deserved  ;  Secretary 
seventeen  years,  from  1870  to  1887  ;  capable  of  the  roughest  and 
hardest  and  truest  missionary  and  pastoral  work,  (most  of  this  period 
at  Fulton,  Oswego  county,)  and  an  excellent  teacher.  Noble  Palmer 
did  most  faithful  work  for  fifteen  years  in  one  of  the  smallest  and 
most  secluded  parishes,  S.  Luke's,  Harpersville,  (once  known  as 
"  Ochquaga  Hills,"  see  p.  37  above,)  and  afterwards  for  many  years 
in  other  country  churches.  Oran  Reed  Howard  came  from  the 
Methodists  in  1849,  and  spent  his  whole  ministry  of  forty-four  years 
in  the  Diocese,  twenty-five  of  11(1857-82)  as  Rector  of  S.  Thomas, 
Bath,  whose  costly  and  beautiful  church  is  one  memorial  of  his  faith- 
ful and  successful  labours.  Malcolm  Douglass,  one  of  four  distin- 
guished sons  of  Major  David  Bates  Douglass,  was  ordained  by 
Bishop  De  Lancey  in  1849,  but  gave  only  his  first  ten  years  to  the 
Diocese,  mostly  at  Waterloo,  much  of  his  later  ministry  being  in  Ver- 
mont, some  years  as  President  of  Norwich  University,  having 
declined  the  Presidency  of  De  Veaux  College.*  He  was  another  who 
was  •'  faithful  in  the  least  "  and  "  faithful  in  much,"  and  whose  per- 
sonal friendship  was  a  treasure  to  be  greatly  prized.  Henry  B. 
Whipple,  taught  by  Dr.  Wilson  and  ordained  by  Bishop  De 
Lancey,  left  us  in  1857,  after  eight  years  of  remarkable  pas- 
toral   work    at     Rome,     to    build    up    the     fir.st    free     Church    in 


*  He  also  virtually  declined  the  Episcopate  of  Vermont,  for  which  he  was  the 
first  choice  of  the  Clergy  in  succession  to  Bishop  Hopkins. 


214  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Chicago,*  and  two  years  later  to  become  the  first  Bishop 
of  Minnesota  and  the  "Apostle  of  the  Indians."  Two  broth- 
ers, Amos  B.  and  Alfred  B.  Beach,  sons  of  the  Rev.  Stephen 
Beach  of  East  Haddam,  Connecticut,  both  warm-hearted,  genial  men 
of  fine  character  and  ability,  were  successively  Rectors  of  S.  John's 
Church,  Canandaigua.  The  younger,  Alfred,  went  in  1853  to  the 
old  parish  of  S.  Peter's,  New  York,  of  which  he  remained  Rector  for 
thirty-seven  years  ;  the  elder  remained  in  Western  and  Central  New 
York  through  life.  George  Morgan  Hills  began  his  ministry  in  Lyons, 
going  from  there  to  Watertown,  thence  to  Syracuse,  and  finally  to  S. 
Mary's,  Burlington,  N.  J.  In  all  these  places  he  was  distinguished 
as  Preacher  and  Pastor,  and  in  the  latter  also  as  author  of  the  well 
known  "  History  of  the  Church  in  Burlington."  No  one  gave  more 
loyal  and  useful  service  to  the  two  successive  Bishops  of  the  Diocese, 
for  the  twenty  years  in  which  he  remained  in  it.  The  same  year 
came  Edward  Livermore,  to  remain  with  us  only  ten  years,  and  then 
to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  as  Bishop  Whipple's  loyal  Priest  and 
bosom  friend.  The  first  half  of  his  residence  here  was  in  Waterloo, 
which  has  always  managed  to  get  a  Rector  of  more  than  common 
excellence  ;  the  last  half  mostly  in  the  two  little  missionary  parishes 
of  East  Bloomfield  and  Allen's  Hill,  his  frail  health  making  a  larger 
work  impracticable  then.  He  added  to  the  intellect  inherited  from 
his  distinguished  New  Hampshire  ancestry  (his  father.  Judge  Arthur 
Livermore,  is  remembered  yet  as  one  ot  the  most  brilliant  men  who 
ever  adorned  the  Senate  of  the  United  States)  a  charm  of  person  and 
conversation  which  no  one  who  knew  him  can  ever  forget ;  ' '  the  type 
of  an  old-fashioned  <g'^;;//^wrt:«,"  Bishop  Whipple  truly  says,  "  one  of 
those  loyal  souls  on  whom  Bishops  and  Clergy  could  lean,   and  to  no 


*  In  the  winter  of  1856-7  I  met  in  Bishop  Neely's  study  in  Rochester  (where 
he  was  then  Rector  of  Christ  Church),  his  brother,  the  late  Albert  E.  Neely,  of 
Chicago,  who  with  one  other  young  man  from  Western  New  York  had  founded 
the  Free  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  and  had  come  to  ask  where  he  could 
look  for  a  Rector.  After  listening  to  his  enthusiastic  account  of  the  new  under- 
taking and  its  requirements,  I  said,  "  I  know  just  the  man  you  want,  but  you 
can't  get  him." — "Who  is  he?  " — "  Henry  B.  Whipple,  of  Rome."  Bishop 
Neely  at  once  seconded  my  suggestion  ;  his  brother  went  directly  to  Rome,  and 
persuaded  Mr.  Whipple  to  visit  Chicago,  which  visit  resulted  eventually  in  his 
election  as  Bishop  of  Minnesota. 


Clkroy  (»k    1849-59  215 

one  who  trusted  him  was  he  ever  a  broken  reed."*  Me  was  another 
who  absorbed,  as  it  were  by  instinct,  all  the  l>est  o{  the  Oxford  revival 
for  his  own  parish  work  and  teaching,  and  brought  it  home  also  to 
his  younger  brethren  in  Orders. 

Dr.  Anthony  Schuyler,  a  Hobart  man  of  1835,  had  been  a  successful 
lawyer  some  years  when,  following  his  cousin  Montgomery,  he  took 
Holy  Orders.  He  too  is  well  remembered,  keeping  up  his  good  work 
in  Oswego  and  Christ  Church,  Rochester,  to  1868,  and  making 
almost  annual  summer  visits  to  his  Geneva  relatives  till  his  decease 
only  three  years  ago  ;  retaining  to  the  last,  like  almost  all  the  clergy  of 
his  day,  a  deep  affection  for  the  Diocese  and  the  memory  of  Bishop 
De  Lancey.  Lawrence  S.  Stevens  and  Albert  Wood,  classmates  of 
1848  in  Hobart,  from  the  same  Oneida  county  village  (Camden), 
and  intimate  friends,  were  yet  very  unlike  in  character,  tastes  and  life, 
the  one  essentially  a  man  of  affairs  and  active  Pastor,  the  other  a 
student  and  thoughtful  writer  on  many  varied  subjects,  one  of  his  pub- 
lications being  an  excellent  but  little-known  manual  of  Church  Hymns 
and  Tunes.  Mr.  Stevens  was  an  early  Rector  of  S.  James,  Buffalo, 
and  later  of  Grace  Church,  Lockport.  His  classmate  did  in  his 
earlier  years  a  great  deal  of  hard  and  faithful  missionary  work  in  the 
Diocese,  in  which  he  spent  nearly  his  whole  ministry. 

This  brings  us  to  the  little  group  of  whom  I  have  spoken  before 
(Ch.  XXX.  p.  194)  as  Divinity  students  at  Geneva  under  Bishop 
De  Lancey  and  Dr.  Wilson  in  1850-54,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  my 
own  classmates.  Five  besides  myself  are  living,  four  of  them  still  in 
more  or  less  active  service,  but  not  one  remaining  in  the  present 
Western  New  York.  Dr.  Parke's  work  in  the  Diocese  was  at  Albion, 
Waterloo  and  Binghamton  ;  Bishop  Paret's  at  Clyde,  Pierrepont 
Manor  and  Elmira  ;  Dr.  Herrick'sat  Manlius  ;  Dr.  Barrows'sat  Corn- 
ing, Calvary,  Utica,  and  Rome  ;  H.  Gaylord  Wood's  at  Sackett's 
Harbor,  and  Grace,  Buffalo.  Of  those  who  have  entered  into  rest 
there  are  to  be  specially  remembered,  first,  Julius  Sylvester  Town- 
send, who  brought  into  his  short  but  fruitful  ministry  all  the  fervour  and 
enthusiasm  of  his  original  Methodism,  tempered  by  a  full  appreciation 
and  love  of  the  teaching  and  spirit  of  the  Prayer   Book.     Of  Joseph 


*  A  somewhat  full  account  of  him  and  of  the  Livermore  family,  written  for  the 
(W.  N.  Y.)  Church  Kalendar  of  June,  1886,  is  reprinted  in  the  Church  Eclectic 
of  Sept.,  1886,  and  also  in  the  Living  Church  of  August  of  the  same  year. 


2i6  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Morison  Clarke  I  have  spoken  before  (Ch.  XXX.  p.  193)  ;  and  have 
said  of  him  elsewhere  that  "  in  all  elements  of  character,  intellectual, 
moral,  social,  he  was  one  of  the  greatest  and  noblest  among  the 
'  Alumni  of  whom  Hobart  College  is  justly  proud  ;  one  who  should 
have  been  in  her  Faculty  many  years  ago  ;  who  won  devoted  friends 
in  every  sphere  of  life  ;  whose  brilliant  social  qualities,  which  made 
him  one  of  the  most  delightful  of  companions  and  friends,  were  excelled 
only  by  his  higher  character  as  Theologian,  Priest,  Churchman  and 
Christian."*  That  is  a  great  deal  to  say,  but  it  is  every  word  true. 
He  began  his  pastoral  work  at  Niagara  Falls  (the  first  Rector  of 
that  Parish),  but  in  1868  became  Rector  of  S.  James,  Syracuse, 
Dr.  Gregory's  "  Free  Church,"  which  charge  he  retained  for 
twenty-eight  years  ;  then  for  five  years  was  Professor  of  Bib- 
lical Literature  in  Nashotah  Seminary,  and  later  Bishop's  Chaplain 
and  Professor  in  S.  Andrew's  Divinity  School  at  Syracuse.  Henry 
Adams  Neely  is  another  who,  though  he  left  the  Diocese  so  early  for 
his  long  and  hard  work  in  the  Episcopate  of  Maine,  had  to  the  last 
day  of  his  life  devoted  and  loving  friends  not  only  in  his  old  parishes 
in  Utica  and  Rochester,  but  in  every  part  of  Western  New  York.  Dr. 
William  T.  Gibson  spent  his  whole  ministry  of  forty- three  years  in 
what  is  now  Central  New  York,  nearly  all  of  it  in  Utica,  first  as 
founder  (under  Bishop  De  Lancey's  express  direction)  of  S.  George's 
Church,  and  editor  of  the  Messenger,  and  later  of  the  Church  Journal 
(in  company  with  Dr.  Matson)  and  the  Church  Eclectic,  which  last 
splendid  magazine  he  founded  and  kept  up  single-handed  to  the  last 
years  of  his  life.  He  was  indeed  a  born  editor  ;  but  so  was  he  a 
born  preacher,  teacher,  philosopher,  theologian,  an  instructor  oi  men 
in  every  possible  way,  as  no  one  needs  to  be  told  who  remembers  the 
charm  of  his  every-day  conversation.  John  G.  Webster  began  his 
academical  preparation  for  Holy  Orders  under  Bishop  Paret,  (then 
himself  a  candidate  for  Orders  and  teacher  at  Moravia,)  earning  his 
living  meanwhile  as  a  carpenter  (and  a  first-rate  carpenter,  as  so  much 
beautiful  furniture  of  church  and  rectory  remains  to  testify)  and  clerk 
in  a  village  post-oiBce  while  studying  his  Greek  Testament.  Bishop 
Paret  has  done  many  good  things  for  the  Church,  but  none  much 
better  than  when  he  led  this  young  man  to  see  his  way  into  her  min- 
istry.    His  thirty-four  years  of  service  was  nearly  all  in  two  country 

*  Alumni  of  Hobart  College,   Report  of    1900. 


lOM-.l'H    M(iKl>'>N    Cl.AKhvl..    I'l' 


Cl  K.KC.Y    (>!•      1849    59  217 

parishes  of  the  Diocese,  Jordan  aiul  Pahnyra.  in  each  of  whicli  his 
memory  is  preserved  in  a  beautiful  church,  but  much  more  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  to  whom  he  was  such  a  loving  and  devoted  Pas- 
tor. He  was  another  whose  every-day  talk,  full  of  shrewd  philoso- 
phy, wit  and  humour,  was  the  delight  of  all  who  could  once  break 
through  the  crust  of  his  habitual  modest  and  almost  shy  reserve.  Hefore 
him  I  should  have  named  a  kindred  spirit,  James  Andrew  Robinson, 
whose  forty-five  years  in  Orders  was  nearly  all  in  quiet  country  places 
in  Central  New  York,  where,  as  in  his  student  life,  he  made  loving 
friends  of  all  who  came  to  know  him  well. 

Somewhat  later  among  Dr.  Wilson's  Geneva  students  came  Lyman 
Hinsdale  Sherwood,  a  brilliant  and  accomplished  scholar  in  many 
things,  most  of  all  in  music,  to  which  in  fact  most  of  his  life  was 
given  ;  William  White  Bours,  who  died  in  Florida  in  1857,  after  five 
years  of  most  earnest  and  devoted  Missionary  work  ;  Robert  Hor- 
wood,  who  came  from  England  as  a  Wesleyan  preacher,  to  become 
a  faithful  Rector  in  Angelica  and  Belmont,  and  finally  a  country 
parson  in  England,  where  so  many  of  his  old  W.  N.  Y.  friends  found 
a  cordial  welcome  from  him  and  his  lovely  wife  ;*  and  Edward 
Randolph  Welles,  Dr.  Gibson's  pupil  in  Waterloo,  afterwards  .so  well 
known  by  his  remarkable  work  in  Minnesota  and  as  the  third  Bishop 
of  Wisconsin. 

All  these,  as  I  have  said,  were  fellow-students  in  those  happy  years 
at  Geneva  under  Bishop  De  Lancey  ;  and  they,  and  nearly  all  whom 
I  have  named  in  this  chapter,  were  personal  friends,  of  whom  it 
is  hard  to  write  in  what  will  not  seem  to  others  unmeasured  terms  of 
praise,  while  for  myself  I  can  only  feel  how  much  more  might  be  and 
should  be  said. 


*  Elizabeth  Church,  daughter  of  Judge  Philip  Church  of  Angelica,  and  grand- 
daughter of  the  Angelica  Schuyler  whose  life  was  saved  when  a  child  in  the 
attack  on  Gen.  Schuyler's  mansion  in  the  Revolution. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

THE   TRAINING    SCHOOL:    TWO  EPISCOPAL    CHARGES 

|N  his  Address  of  1855  Bishop  De  Lancey  alludes  again 
to  the  "want  of  additional  clergy"  as  "  the  distressing 
want  of  this  Diocese,"  and  expresses  his  conviction  of 
the  need  of  a  "  Training  School  for  Candidates  ;"  by 
which,  as  he  explains,  he  means  a  Diocesan  School 
where  both  preparatory  and  advanced  education  "  can  be  obtained 
by  children  designed  by  their  parents  or  themselves  for  the  Ministry, 
without  the  expenses  to  which  they  are  now  subjected  ;  a  literal 
'school  of  the  prophets,'  where  '  education  for  the  Ministry  '  is  not  a 
side  or  contingent  object,  but  the  sole  object  of  the  instructions, 
associations,  devotions,  influences  and  labours  of  the  entire  establish- 
ment." 

It  is  evident  from  other  remarks  in  the  Address,  which  I  cannot 
give  in  full  here,  that  it  is  preparatory,  not  theological  education 
which  the  Bishop  has  m  mind,  "an  institution,"  as  he  says,  "for 
earlier  control,  guidance,  protection  and  training,  to  lead  the  open- 
ing mind  to  God's  work,  as  Samuel  was  led,  as  Timothy  was  led, 
from  the  earliest  dawn  of  the  spiritual  mind,  to  its  full  development."* 
A  Committee  appointed  at  his  request  reported  briefly,  and  the  next 
year  much  more  fully,  and  the  discussion  of  the  subject  occupied 
much  of  the  time  of  the  Convention  of  1856  at  Watertown.  The 
plan  reported  and  adopted  (with  but  one  dissenting  vote,  if  I  remem- 
ber rightly)  proposed  a  school  of  two  departments  (under  the  Bishop 
and  Standing  Committee  as  a  Board  of  Education),  the /?/«/<7r Depart- 
ment for  youth  of  twelve  to  eighteen  years  designing  to  become  candi- 
dates, the  Senior  Department  for  young  men  over  18,  communicants, 
recommended  by  their  pastors  as  applicants  for  candidate- 
ship,  to  be  guided  and  aided  in  their  preparatory  studies  by 
the  Board  of  Education.  The  Junior  Department  to  be  opened 
as  soon  as  an  endowment  of  $20,000  should  be  obtained.! 
Nothing  is  said  in    this    report,   nor    in    the    Bishop's    Addresses 


*  Journ.  1855,  p.  46. 
t  Journ.  1856,  p.  54. 


Thk.   Dux  F.SAN    'I'kmninc.   S(M(M)1.  219 

for  six  years  previous  to  the  final  establishment  of  the  school 
in  i.S6i,of  the  need  of  the  school  as  a  provision  for  candidates 
coming  from  the  Ministry  of  other  religious  bodies.  In  1857 
the  Bishop  states  as  the  result  of  a  circular  to  the  Clergy  in  Septeni- 
ber,  1856,  that  "  thirty  boys  from  this  Diocese  could  be  had  for  the 
Junior  Department,  and  fifteen  young  men  for  the  Senior 
Department  of  such  a  school."  He  "feels  bold  to  say  that  there 
are  now  fifty  persons,  youth  and  adults,  in  this  Diocese,  at  this  time 
ready  and  willing  to  he  put  in  train  for  the  Ministry  of  the  Church." 
Already  §4,500  had  been  offered  towards  endowing  the  school.*  The 
Committee  (Drs.  Gregory,  Van  Rensselaer,  Ashley  and  Brandegee, 
W.  C.  Pierrepont  and  Horatio  Seymour)  was  continued  in  1857  to 
raise  funds,  and  Messrs.  A.  P.  Grant,  Horace  White  and  J.  J.  Peck 
appointed  Trusteesof  such  funds.  The  commercial  panic  of  1857-8, 
and  the  Bishop's  second  visit  to  England  in  1858-9,  prevented 
any  further  action  until  i860,  when  the  Bishop  reported  that  he  had 
secured  about  $20,000  (all  by  his  own  personal  efforts,  chiefly  at 
visitations  of  parishes)  for  the  Senior  Department  of  the  School, 
which  was  to  be  opened  on  Oct.  i ,  in  Geneva,  under  the  charge  of 
the  Rev.  David  H.  Macurdy,  and  in  connection  with  the  missionary 
and  parochial  work  of  S.  Peter's  Chapel,  which  was  included  in  the 
property  of  the  School. t  The  plan  adopted  by  the  Convention  in 
1857  expressly  provides  that  the  "  Senior  Department  "  should  be 
located  at  Geneva.  In  his  appeal  of  May  9,  i860,  for  the  endow- 
ment of  this  Department,  the  Bishop  says,  "  This  Department  shall 
be  located  at  Geneva,  [he  is  quoting  the  plan  of  1857,]  and  shall 
be  opened  as  soon  as  an  adequate  endowment  shall  be  obtained  ; 
but  the  students  shall  prosecute  their  preparatory  studies  where  the 
Bishop  and  Board  shall  direct."  In  the  same  letter  he  reluctantly 
gives  up  the  "  Junior  Department  "  as  demanding  "  an  endowment 
of  $100,000,  and  the  application  of  more  youthful  energy  than  more 
than  three-score  years  can  supply  to  your  Bishop.  For  young  can- 
didates, we  must  look  to  Hobart  College  and  De  Veaux  College." 
S.  Peter's  is  to  be  a  "  free  Chapel  "  forthe  Institution,  and  its  offer- 
ings to  aid  in  sustaining  it. 

It  has  been  said  of    late   years  that  the  Training   School  was  pro- 


*  Joum.  1857,  p.  41. 
t  Joum.  i860,  p.  70. 


220  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

bably  located  at  Geneva  only  because  that  was  the  Bishop's  residence. 
There  is  not  the  slightest  ground  for  such  a  theory,  and  it  is  contrary 
to  certain  facts  within  my  personal  knowledge.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
the  Bishop  was  glad  to  have  the  school  near  his  own  residence,  but  a 
much  more  important  consideration  with  him  was  that  Geneva  was  the 
seat  of  Hobart  College,  with  which  the  Bishop  desired  the  work  of 
the  School  to  be  brought  into  relation — as  his  former  school  had 
been — so  far  as  was  practicable.  This  I  have  heard  from  his  own  lips. 
The  contributions  for  the  endowment  of  the  school  were,  in  part  if 
not  wholly,  given  with  the  distinct  understanding  that  it  was  to  be 
placed  at  Geneva,  and,  as  I  have  reason  to  know,  would  not  have 
been  given  except  on  that  assurance.  It  seems  clear  to  me  (but  this 
is  an  opinion,  not  a  fact)  that  this  permanent  location  at  Geneva  and 
this  reason  for  it  were  recognized  in  the  action  of  the  Convention  of 
1867,  in  assigning  the  School  to  Western  New  York,  though  its 
removal  a  mile  east  would  have  brought  it  into  the  Diocese  which  was 
left  without  a  single  endowed  Institution.*  And  it  was  distinctly 
recognized  by  Bishop  Coxe,  both  by  word  and  act,  through  his  whole 
Episcopate,  t 

Mr.  Macurdy's  declination  of  the  charge  of  the  School  (from  ill 
health)  delayed  its  opening  some  months,  but  on  the  first  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1861,  its  work  began  under  the  Rectorship  of  the  Rev.  James 
Rankine  (later  D.D.,  LL.D.),  which  continued  to  his  decease,  Dec. 
16,  1896,  nearly  thirty-six  years.  Beginning  his  Candidateship  in  old 
S.  John's,  Canandaigua,  then  a  student  and  professor  under  Bishop 
Williams,  in  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  he  came  back  in  1854  to 
make  this  Diocese  his  home  for  life.  In  the  thirty-six  years  which 
followed,  he  carried  on  with  wonderful  judgment  and  success  a  work 
often  small,  perplexing  and  discouraging,  but  yielding  results  of  good 
far  beyond  what  could  have  been  fairly  expected  from  the  material 
and  the  opportunities  which  were  given  him.     The  reports  from  the 

*Joum.  1867,  pp.  29,  31. 

1 1  need  hardly  say  that  I  am  expressing  no  opinion  here  as  to  the  legal  or 
canonical  right  of  the  Diocese  to  locate  the  School  elsewhere  than  in  Geneva  ; 
but  only  giving  these  historical  facts,  which  do  not  seem  to  be  always  understood, 
as  to  the  purpose  of  its  original  location  and  its  maintenance  in  that  place.  The 
Bishop  also  counted,  and  with  good  reason,  on  the  interest  of  the  Church-people 
of  Geneva  in  the  School ;  an  interest  which,  however,  was  largely  due  to  Ur. 
Rankine's  wise  and  able  administration  of  its  work. 


Church  Schools  221 

clergy  on  wliich  Hishop  De  Lancey  based  his  expectation  of  students 
seem  to  have  been  hardly  trustworthy,  for  the  actual  number  never 
exceeded  ten,  and  usually  varied  from  four  to  six.  two- fifths  of  the 
whole  being  necessarily  non-resident  from  the  necessity  of  supporting 
themselves,  and  often  their  families,  by  work  elsewhere,  there  never 
being  funds  for  the  maintenance  of  students,  except  what  the  liishop 
gave  or  asked  for.  or  the  Rector  himself  provided,  until  within  a  few 
years.  It  had  really  no  local  habitation  save  the  Rectcjr's  own  house, 
and  for  thirty  years  no  study  except  his  dining-room.  With  all  this  he 
was  gradually  building  the  little  mission  of  S.  Peter's  into  a  strong 
and  active  parish,  by  such  faithful  pastoral  work  as  might  have  been 
counted  sufficient  to  take  all  of  any  one  man's  time.  Hut  enough  ; 
Bishop  De  Lancey  never  acted  from  a  happier  intuition,  or  a  wiser 
foresight,  than  when  he  committed  the  work  of  what  is  now  the  De 
Lancey  Divinity  School  to  such  a  man  as  James  Rankine. 

The  development  of  the  Public  School  system,  which  has  gradually 
forced  out  of  existence  all  religious  schools  without  large  endowments, 
no  doubt  accounts  in  great  part  for  the  fact  that  the  Church  schools  of 
Western  New  York  were  doing  a  much  larger  work  half  a  century 
ago  than  they  are  today.  It  is  of  course  no  excuse  for  the  wretched 
indifference  of  Church  people  to  the  religious  training  of  their  chil- 
dren outside  of  our — for  the  most  part  utterly  inefficient — Sunday 
School  instruction.  The  Diocese  did  report  at  one  time  a  small  num- 
ber of  successful  parish  schools,  as  those  under  Dr.  Gregory  in  Syra- 
cuse, Dr.  Van  Ingen  in  Rochester,  Mr.  Livermore  in  Waterloo,  Dr. 
Babcock  in  Watertown,  Bishop  Paret  in  Pierrepont  Manor,  and 
others,  and  a  larger  number  of  excellent  boarding  schools,  either 
co-educational,  as  at  Holland  Patent,  Westmoreland,  Wethersfield 
Springs,  and  Oakfield  ;  or  for  boys,  as  at  Canandaigua,  Buffalo,  and 
Fredonia  ;  or  girls,  as  the  admirable  ones  of  the  Misses  Hills  in 
Buffalo,  of  "  Lilac  Grove  "  at  New  Hartford  under  the  Eames  family 
and  Miss  Proal,  at  Geneva  under  the  Misses  Bridge.— this  last  still 
continued  in  the  "  De  Lancey  School,"— at  Mount  Morris,  Bingham- 
ton,  Utica,  Lockport  underthe  Rev.  Dr.  Cressey,  and  otherplaces  which 
I  cannot  now  recall.  Two  of  these  last,  particularly  —the  Misses  Hills's 
School  in  Buffalo,  and  Lilac  Grove  in  New  Hartford— had  a  long  and 
successful  career,  and  a  high  reputation,  as  many  loving  memories  of 
them  can  yet  attest.      We    have  now  two  or    three  for  girls,  none  of 


2  22  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

them  too  well  sustained  ;  one,  I  believe,  co- educational  ;  3.nd  none  ior 
boys  except  De  Veaux  with  its  little  handful  of  "  foundationers."  It 
must  be  sorrowfully  admitted  that  the  Diocese  has  little  to  boast  of  in 
the  progress  of  Christian  education  through  the  last  forty  years.  It 
would  be  a  comfort  if  we  could  think  that  our  Sunday  Schools  and 
Catechising  were  enough  better  to  be  some  compensation  for  our  loss 
in  weekday  training. 

I  have  said  nothing,  I  believe,  of  Bishop  De  Lancey's  Second 
Charge  to  his  Clergy,  at  the  Convention  of  1849  in  Geneva,  on 
"Religious  Training."  It  is  of  course  systematic,  formal  and 
exhaustive  in  its  treatment  of  the  subject,  like  all  his  other  writings. 

There  are  two  systems  of  religious  education  in  use,  he  says  ;  the 
system  of  excitement,  and  the  system  of  training.  "  The  former  sup- 
poses the  baptized  individual  to  be  incapable  of  religious  or  spir- 
itual action,  until  he  is,  at  some  period  of  life,  early  or  late, 
awakened,  impressed  and  changed  by  the  Holy  Spirit ;  with  a  view 
to  whose  action  upon  him  it  is  necessary  that  human  means  should  be 
used  with  a  view  to  arrest,  disturb  and  excite  his  mind  on  the  sub- 
ject of  his  salvation.  Prior  to  this  period  he  is  in  sin  and  apathy. 
At  this  period  he  is  converted.  .  .  Hence  he  must  needs  submit 
to  a  system  of  excitements. 

"  The  latter — the  system  of  training — supposes  the  individual 
to  be  capable  of  religious  exercises  from  the  earliest  period  of  intelli- 
gence, not  by  nature,  but  in  virtue  of  imparted  grace  pledged  by 
covenant  to  him  ;  by  means  of  which,  as  he  is  empowered  for  moral 
action,  so  moral  action  is  required,  and  may  be  acceptably  rendered 
by  him.  Hence  he  is  to  be  taught  religious  duties  which  he  is  to 
perform  ;  he  is  to  be  taught  religious  doctrine  which  he  is  to  believe  ; 
he  is  to  be  swayed  by  religious  motives  to  which  he  is  accessible  ;  he 
is  to  be  led  to  moral  obedience  which  he  can  render  ;  he  is  to  share 
in  Christian  ordinances  which  are  profitable  to  him.  He  is  to  be 
trained  in  knowledge,  holiness,  virtues,  graces,  spiritual  duties,  doc- 
trines, ordinances,  and  in  all  of  faith,  holiness  and  grace  that  may 
attest  his  conformity  to  the  will  of  God,  and  secure  through  Christ,  as 
its  meritorious  origin,  his  everlasting  salvation. 

"  The  training  system  is  the  system  of  common  sense,  the  system 
of  analogy,  the  system  of  the  Gospel,  the  true  system." 

Such  is  the  thesis  which  the  Bishop  works  out  with  copious  illus- 
trations from  the  analogy  of  life,  from  the  Bible,  the  Prayer  Book  and 
the  Church's  Law,  and  applies  practically  to  the  work  for  Children, 
in  Sunday  Schools,  catechising,  pastoral  visiting  and  Parish  Schools  ; 
for  Youth,  in  lectures   and  sermons,  conversations,  books  and  con- 


The  Bishop's  Charges  223 

firmation  classes  ;  for  Adults,  in  the  Pulpit,  the  Lecture,  the  Press, 
personal  intercourse,  the  sustaining  of  Church  Institutions,  and  the 
cultivation  of  a  spirit  of  devotion.  And  finally  he  urges  his  Clergy  to 
think  what  all  this  demands,  to  what  il  leads,  what  grace  it  requires, 
and  what  will  be  its  reward.  Taking  it  up  again  after  many  years, 
one  can  almost  see  the  burning  eloquence  of  the  good  Bishop  through 
all  this  old-fashioned  elaborate  style.* 

In  1855,  at  Binghamton,  the  Bishop  gave  his  Third  Charge,  on  the 
"  Avenues  of  Infidelity." 

These  he  characterizes  as  arising  in  distorted  views  of  the  Doc- 
trine of  Necessity  (i.  e.  Calvinism),  of  Education,  of  Society 
("Owenism,"  "Fourierism,"  ''Mormonisni,"  ••  Spiritualism  "),of  the 
Church  (Romanism  and  Ultra- Protestantism),  and  of  right  Minis- 
terial Character.  Against  all  these  stands  "the  Christian  Revela- 
tion which  we  proclaim  and  guard  as  the  disclosure  of  God's  will  to 
man  through  Christ;  possible,  probable,  demonstrable,  true;  its 
foundation  in  the  New  Testament ;  its  substance  in  the  Creeds  of  the 
Church  ;  its  apparent  medium  the  Church  of  the  living  (}od  ;  we,  its 
advocates  and  agents,  its  commissioned  Ministry,  labouring  in  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Gho.st  under  the  great  Captain  of  our  Salvation, 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  its  Author  on  earth  and  its  Finisher  in 
Heaven. 

"  Fidelity  here  will  be  glory  there." 

Little  echoes  of  the  old  '•  High  and  Low  Church  "  quarrel  come 
up  from  time  to  time.  In  the  Convention  of  1855  the  Bishop  reported 
an  application  from  some  dissatisfied  parishioners  of  S.  John's  Church, 
Canandaigua,  for  the  formation  of  a  new  parish  in  that  village  of  little 
more  than  4,000  inhabitants.  The  Rector  having  naturally  refused 
his  consent,  was  sustained  by  the  Bishop,  who  in  turn  was  sustained 
by  the  almost  unanimous  vote  of  the  Convention.!  The  next  year  a 
strong  commendation  in  his  Address  of  the  "  Church  Book  Society  " 
(the  new  addition  to  the  name  of  the  old  "  G.  P.  E.  S.  S.  Union  ") 
was  followed  by  a  resolution  in  its  behalf  offered  by  Dr.  Gregory,  and 
strongly  opposed  by  the  few  "  Low  Churchmen  "  left  in  the  Diocese, 
who,  like  their  party  all  over  the  country,  had  for  several  years  with- 
drawn support  from  the  Society  on  account  of  its  supposed  "  Romish  " 

*  I  should  add  that  he  appends  to  this  Charge  some  valuable  notes  on 
Catechising,  Parish  Schools,  Church  Colleges,  Authorities  on  Church  Teaching, 
the  Gospel  Messenger,  Daily  Service,  Choirs  and  Frequent  Communion. 

t  Journ.  1S55,  pp.  4j,  6i. 


2  24  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

tendencies,  though  its  publications  would  be  thought  in  this  day  very 
mild  indeed.  Again  the  Bishop's  position  was  sustained,  with  two  dis- 
senting votes  of  the  Clergy  and  nine  of  the  Laity.* 

Another  illustration  of  the  persistence  of  this  party  spirit  is  noted 
the  same  year  in  the  denunciation  of  the  Bishop  for  deposing  a  clergy- 
man on  his  own  acknowledgment  of  having  received  "confirmation 
of  Orders  "  from  the  religious  body  popularly  known  as  "  Irvingites," 
on  the  ground  that  he  had  exceeded  his  authority  in  not  subjecting  the 
seceder  to  an  ecclesiastical  trial. f 

In  the  Address  of  1856  the  Bishop  suggests  a  plan  for  the  gradual 
endowment  of  parishes,  which  will  be  found  in  detail  in  the  Journal 
of  that  year,  p.  44.  It  was  commended  by  a  resolution  of  the  Con- 
vention, and,  it  is  satisfactory  to  know,  was  adopted  in  several  parishes 
with  good  results  ;  one  especially  I  remember,  Palmyra,  then  under  a 
Rector  of  whose  faithfulness  and  efficiency  in  all  the  details  of  parish 
work  it  is  needless  to  say  more  than  that  he  is  now  the  revered  and 
beloved  Bishop  of  Western  Michigan. 

Appended  to  the  Journal  of  1857  is  a  note  of  some  twenty  pages  on 
one  of  the  many  efforts  made  from  time  to  time  to  wrest  her  estate 
from  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  this  time  by  means  of  a  joint-stock 
company  who  were  to  receive,  in  case  of  success  in  the  suit,  three  times 
the  value  of  their  subscriptions,  the  remainder  of  the  prize  going  to 
the  Common  Schools.  The  note  is  still  valuable  as  a  full  and  inter- 
esting resum^  of  the  whole  question,  so  often  fought  over  in  the  early 
years  of  the  last  century,  and,  to  the  credit  of  the  State  and  its  Courts, 
always  with  the  same  result.:]: 


*Joum.  1856,  pp.  43,  63. 

t  Gospel  Messenger,  XXIX.  142.    (Sept.  21,  1855.) 

\  See  Joum.  1857,  p.  131. 


CHAPTER   XXXV 

THE  BISHOP  ABROAD:    CHURCH-BUILDING 

AND    RITUAL 

|K  find  in  the  Bishop's  Address  of  1858,  some  remarks 
on  two  events  of  that  year,  of  great  interest  throughout 
the  whole  country. 

The  disastrous  financial  panic  of  1857  had  been  fol- 
lowed by  what  might  be  truly  called  a  "  revival  of  relig- 
ion," the  most  wide-spread  and  remarkable,  I  think,  which  the  his- 
tory of  our  country  in  the  nineteenth  century  records.  I  only  speak 
of  that  here  in  relation  to  its  influence  on  the  work  of  the  Diocese, 
which  is  summed  up  in  the  words  of  the  Bishop  * 

"  Our  Diocese,"  he  says,  •'  we  humbly  trust,  is  advancing  in  zeal, 
piety  and  good  works,  and  for  its  steady  progress  through  the  pecun- 
iary and  property  panic  on  one  side,  and  the  religious  excitement  on 
the  other,  which  have  marked  the  last  Conventional  year,  we  have 
ample  reason  to  bless  God  and  take  courage. 

"  The  number  confirmed,  1503,  when  the  average  annual  number 
for  my  whole  Episcopate  is  less  than  600,  and  the  largest  number 
ever  before  reported  in  one  year  is  1006 — the  great  number  of  aged 
persons  confirmed,  varying  from  sixty  to  eighty  years  of  age — the 
enlarged  attendance  on  the  services  of  the  Church,  and  the  increased 
number  of  the  services — the  discontinuance  of  the  objections  to  the 
Wednesday  and  Friday  prayers,  and  to  the  daily  services,  all  bespeak 
an  external  reverence  and  devotion  which  we  trust  is  founded  on  the 
higher  principle  within — a  heart  quickened  and  sanctified  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  The  Providential  rebuke  administered  so  suddenly, 
powerfully  and  extensively  to  the  Mammon  of  unrighteousness  in  the 
panic  and  pressure,  was  met  by  the  Church  not  wholly  asleep  and 
unprepared.  For  a  dozen  years,  at  the  head  of  Wall  street,  the  bells  of 
Trinity  Church  had  sent  forth  almost  the  only  Protestant  summons  to 
the  daily  worship  of  God,  while  some  nine  or  ten  other  Fpiscopal 
Churches  in  the  city  were  treading  in  the  same  almost  derided  steps. 

"  The  excitement  met  the  Church  in  the  humiliation  of  Lent,  hum- 
bled before  God  in  the  appointed  services  of  the  season.  Nothing 
extra  to  the  usual  services  provided  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer 
was  required.      The  rebuke  was  blest  to  her  spiritual  good,  while  her 

*  Joum.  1S5S,  p.  53. 


2  26  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

solemn  devotions  were  found  appropriate  to  the  exigency,  and  she  has 
come  forth  from  the  awakening,  we  humbly  trust,  thus  far,  enlarged, 
invigorated  and  spiritualized,  without  sacrificing  a  principle  or  dimin- 
ishing confidence  in  her  system  of  training  men  for  Heaven,  not  by 
artificial  and  spasmodic  excitements,  but  by  a  steady  course  of  instruc- 
tion, worship,  guidance,  care  and  nurture,  in  full  accordance  with  the 
word  and  will  of  God,  the  admonition  of  experience  and  the  nature  of 
man,  vindicating  the  rise  and  progress  of  religion  in  the  soul. 

"  While  blessing  God  for  whatever  spiritual  good  has  occurred  from 
this  Divine  rebuke,  to  other  religious  bodies,  let  us  thankfully  adore 
Him  for  the  spiritual  blessings  which,  falling  on  the  Church  through 
her  appointed  services,  have  vindicated,  now,  as  heretofore,  the  wis- 
dom, piety,  and  suitableness  of  her  arrangements  for  worship,  instruc- 
tion and  devotion." 

In  these  utterances,  it  need  hardly  be  said,  the  Bishop  had  the 
full  sympathy  of  his  Diocese  ;  but  there  were  a  few  who  were  not 
satisfied  without  a  much  fuller  recognition  of  the  "revival"  of  the 
year,  and  had  prepared  a  series  of  resolutions  expressing  their  views. 
One  of  them,  the  Rev.  Robert  J.  Parvin  of  Le  Roy,  moved  to  sus- 
pend the  order  of  business  to  refer  the  Bishop's  remarks  to  a  com- 
mittee. This  was  refused,  and  later  in  the  session  a  resolution  offer- 
ed by  the  same  clergyman, — of  gratitude  for  "the  gift  of  grace  bestow- 
ed upon  us"  in  the  large  number  of  confirmations  reported,  though 
entirely  unobjectionable  in  language,  was  first  amended  by  Dr.  Gib- 
son to  express  "continued  confidence  and  renewed  zeal  in  the  faith- 
ful use  of  the  means  of  grace"  bestowed  on  the  Church  and  "pre- 
served in  their  integrity"  for  her  (an  amendment  accepted  at  once  by 
Mr.  Parvin),  and  finally  gave  way  to  a  substitute  by  Dr.  Beach,  "unit- 
ing with  the  Bishop  in  his  acknowledgment  of  the  blessing  bestowed 
on  the  Church,"  etc.  As  the  record  stands,  the  "Evangelical"  cler- 
gy seem  to  have  the  best  of  it ;  the  real  fact  being  that  the  Conven- 
tion was  unwilling  to  give  any  possible  chance  for  committing  the  Dio- 
cese to  an  approval  of  the  "revival"  system  generally.  The  substi- 
tute was  followed,  however,  by  another  resolution  from  the  same  side, 
with  which  their  original  series  of  resolutions  was  to  have  ended, 
requesting  the  Bishop  to  take  a  vacation  of  three  months  for  a  visit 
to  Europe,  and  assessing  the  parishes  of  the  Diocese  $1,500  for  his 
expenses.  This  motion  was  put  by  the  Secretaiy,  and  of  course  unan- 
imously adopted,  though  it  was  an  utter  surprise  to  the  members  of 
the    Convention  generally,  and  to  some  of  them,  probably,  not   an 


Convention  of  1858  227 

agreeable  one,  so  f:ir  as  the  assessment  was  concerned.  It  was  felt 
that  on  the  whole  the  Low  Churchmen  had  scored  a  triuni])!),  tliough 
not  the  one  they  meant  to  have  had. 

The  Convention  responded  to  the  second  special  point  in  the  Bishop's 
Address,  relating  to  the  supposed  completion  of  the  first  Atlantic 
Cable  (which,  it  will  be  remembered,  proved  a  failure  for  the  time 
being),  with  a  series  of  resolutions  of  congratulation,  framed,  I  have 
no  doubt,  by  one  of  the  two  distinguished  laymen  on  the  Committee, 
(Jovcrnors  Horatio  Seymour  and  Washington  Hunt,  both  of  them 
deeply  interested  Churchmen  of  the  old  Western  New  York  type. 

This  Convention  of  1858,  which  was  held  in  S.  Paul's  Church, 
Rochester,  was  attended  by  many  clerical  visitors  from  other  Dioceses, 
including  several  from  Canada, — among  them  Archdeacon  Bethune 
(afterwards  Bishop  of  Toronto),  Dean  Fuller  (afterwards  Bishop  of 
Niagara)  and  Dr.  Adam  Townlcy,  all  of  whom  made  addresses  of 
much  interest  in  response  to  their  reception. 

Immediately  after  the  Convention  the  Bishop  took  part  as  Preacher 
in  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Bowman  in  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia. 
His  sermon  on  that  occasion  is  given,  not  in  full,  however,  in  the 
Afessenge?-  of  Sept.  3,  1858.  On  the  24th  of  November  following, 
having  taken  leave  of  his  Diocese  in  a  letter  of  earnest  exhortation  to 
Clerg)'  and  Laity,*  he  set  out  on  his  last  visit  to  England.      Ho  gives 


•Given  in  Joum.  1859,  p.  28.  On  the  Sunday  before,  the  Bishop  ordained  in 
Trinity  Church,  Utsca,  three  Priests  and  three  Deacons.  The  examination  of  the 
candidates  illustrates  curiously  the  utter  want  of  system  in  such  matters  at  that 
day.  It  was  on  the  eve  of  the  ordination :  there  were  no  Examining  Chaplains 
then.  The  examiners  besides  the  Bishop  were  the  Revs.  S.  Hanson  Coxe,  Wm. 
A.  Matson,  Wm.  T.  Gibson,  William  J.  Alger  and  my.se If.  One  of  the  candi- 
dates for  Priest's  Orders  (the  Rev.  J.  S.  Sh  pman)  had  been  examined  a  day  or 
two  before  by  Dr.  Gibson  and  myself,  and  I  presume  has  never  forgotten  wiiat  he 
underwent  from  the  former,  who  did  not  often  get  such  a  first-class  scholar  and 
thinker  to  "put  through."  At  the  general  examinat'on,  on*^  of  the  Candidates 
for  Deacon's  Orders  only,  was  Charles  Edward  Cheney,  (now  "Reformed  Epis- 
copal Bishop"  in  Chicago,)  and  it  is  notew\>rthy  that  not  a  single  question  was 
asked  him  on  the  Prayer  Book  or  the  Ordinal  for  "want  of  time."  Another  had 
come  in  from  the  Methodists  six  months  before  (and  went  back  to  them  six 
months  later,  I  believe)  and  appeared  to  be  almost  as  ignorant  of  the  Bible  as  of 
the  Prayer  Book  ;  I  remember  that  he  had  not  the  faintest  idea  of  any  relation 
between  the  "  Old  and  New  Dispensations!"  As  I  write  this,  there  comes  to 
me  the  news  of  the  decease  (April  20,  1903)  of  William  Jamks  Alger,  who  had 
been  received  into  the  Diocese  that  same  year  (1S5S)  and  for  many  years  did  a 


2  28  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

a  general  and  very  interesting  account  of  it  in  his  Address  of  1859. 
His  own  health  as  well  as  Mrs.  De  Lancey's  made  it  much  more  quiet 
than  that  of  1852,  but  he  was  received,  of  course,  as  before,  with  the 
most  cordial  regard  and  hospitality,  and  attended  many  functions  of 
special  interest,  among  others  taking  part  in  the  consecration  of  a 
colonial  and  of  a  Scotch  Bishop  ;  spending  some  weeks  on  the  con- 
tinent, and  visiting  his  ancestral  homes  in  Caen,  Normandy,  and 
Verberie  in  Picardy,  and  "with  veneration"  the  church  and  grave 
of  Calvin,  "  however  discordant  in  theology  and  polity."  On  account 
of  Mrs.  De  Lancey's  health,  and  by  special  request  of  some  of  the 
Clergy  and  Laity  of  the  Diocese,  the  visit  was  prolonged  to  more  than 
double  the  time  originally  contemplated,  enabling  the  Bishop  to  obtain 
a  large  contribution  in  books  for  the  Library  of  Hobart  College,  to 
attend  the  consecration  of  All  Saints,  Margaret  St.,  London,  (in  which 
he  was  greatly  interested,)*  the  opening  of  the  Convocation  of  Can- 
terbury, and  a  concert  at  Buckingham  Palace  by  invitation  of  the 
Queen,  and  to  present  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  viva  voce  the 
message  of  congratulation  on  the  Atlantic  Cable  which  that  great 
instrument  had  as  yet  failed  to  transmit. f  He  \vas  greatly  interested 
in  S.  Aidan's  College,  Birkenhead,  as  a  model  for  his  own  Diocesan 
Training  School,  and  in  a  confirmation  near  Chester  of  400  candidates, 
"  two  by  two,"  with-  a  choral  Amen  after  each  blessing. 

On  the  29th  of  June,  in  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  he  had  "the 
unspeakable  gratification"  of  a  hearty  welcome  back  to  the  Diocese 
from  a  large  number  of  the  Clergy  and  Laity,  with  a  special  Thanks- 


noble  missionary  work,  first  at  Paris  Hill,  and  Clinton,  W.  N.  Y.,  and  aftei-wards 
at  Saco  and  Biddeford,  Me.;  one  of  the  brightest  men  in  intellect,  and  the  noblest 
in  heart,  that  either  of  those  Dioceses  ever  had. 

*  I  never  heard  the  Bishop  speak  with  more  enthusiasm  of  anything  than  of 
the  Choral  Service  (then  almost  unknown  in  this  country),  I  think  on  this  occa- 
sion ;  though  he  had  been  always  told,  and  believed,  that  he  could  not  sing  a 
note  himself,  nor  tell  one  tune  from  another.  Yet  at  this  very  time,  I  remember 
his  remarking  with  much  acumen  on  the  superiority  of  the  violin  to  the  piano- 
forte in  musical  quality,  a  remark  hardly  to  be  expected  from  one  who  had 
"  neither  ear  nor  voice."  His  voice,  indeed,  was  one  of  the  most  musical  I  ever 
heard ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  could  have  learned  to  sing  in  spite  of  any 
defect  of  ear. 

t  In  Appendix  No.  V.  to  the  Journal  of  1858  (p.  150)  will  be  found  a  note  of 
considerable  length  and  interest  on  the  Cable,  with  the  messages  interchanged 
before  its  temporary  failure. 


REDUCED    FACSIMILE    OF    LITHOGRAPHIC     DKAWING    OF 

ST.     PAUL'S    CHLRCH.    BIFFALO. 

Published  durinjj  the  erection  of  the  new  stone  edifice   in  1851,  for  the  benefit 

of  the  "  Chime  Fund." 


R<produc«4  bj  ji«rmU«loa  from  the 
Cvsni-Banlelt  Ulttcr;  of  Sl  Paur>  Cburcli. 
Buffalo.  copjriKhtrd  uid  imbllshej  V,*n. 


Growth  in    1849-59  229 

giving,  and  an  Address  from  Dr.  Shelton.  It  was  an  occasion  long 
to  be  remembered  ;  but  I  can  only  refer  to  the  Address  of  1859  and 
accompanying  notes,  and  the  Messen<;£r,  for  the  full  account  of  it. 

The  Convention  of  1859  was  held  (for  the  first  time)  at  Elmira. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Maunsell  Van  Rensselaer  was  the  preacher.  'I'he 
chief  interest  of  the  gathering  was  in  the  Bishop's  Address  and  story 
of  his  long  absence  in  England.  The  Christmas  Fund  was  put  under 
the  protection  of  a  canon  which  limited  its  appropriations  (in  spite  of 
some  effort  to  the  contrary)  to  $250,  the  accumulated  fund  being  now 
$5,242.80.    The  Rev.  Henry  A.  Neely  reported  from  a  Committee  of 

1858  the  beginning  of  a  collection  of  "manuscript  sermons  of  de- 
ceased clergy  of  the  Diocese"  with  a  view  to  the  publication  of  at 
least  part  of  them.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  nothing  ever  came  of 
this  project  beyond  the  collection  of  a  large  box  of  MSS.  which  may 
possibly  be  still  in  the  "archives"  of  the  Dioce.se  ;  but  at  the  time 
there  seemed  to  be  much  interest  in  the  matter. 

Something  should  be  said  of  the  growth  of  parishes  and  building 
of  churches  during  the  second  decade  of  Bishop  De  Lancey's  Epis- 
copate and  of  the  Diocese.  In  1859  there  are  reported  138  Clergy, 
19  Candidates  for  Orders,  146  Parishes,  10,834  Communicants,  8,773 
Sunday  Scholars;  $9,601.86  contributed  for  Diocesan  objects  (of 
which  $4,700.98  for  Diocesan  Missions,  $1,502.72  for  the  Christmas 
Fund,  and  $1 ,599.79  for  the  Bishop's  expenses  in  Europe), and  $4,094.- 
72  for  general  objects  (about  $1,000  each  for  Domestic  and  Foreign 
Missions,  and  $700  for  the  Church  Book  Society)  ;  offerings  for  Paro- 
chial objects  are  only  partially  reported,  but  sum  up  $48,704.82.  A 
comparison  of  these  figures  with  i  S49  shows  that  the  Diocese  had  gained 
in  clergy  22  percent.,  in  Parishes  15  percent.,  in  Communicants 
70  per  cent.,  in  Sunday  Scholars  had  much  more  than  doubled  ;  but 
in  the  last  two  items  the  gain  is  more  apparent  than  real,  both 
being  reported  much  more  fully  in  the  latter  year  ;  in  1849  only  two- 
thirds  of  the  Parishes  make  any  report  of  Sunday  Scholars.  Offer- 
ings for  Diocesan  Missions  had  apparently  more  than  doubled,  but  in 
1849  not  half  the  parishes  report  anything  for  that  object,  while  in 

1859  the  Education  and  Missionary  Board  report  that  there  was  a 
deficit  in  the  ordinary  collections,  made  up  by  a  special  appeal  to  the 
Parishes.  These  appeals  increased  in  frequency  and  urgency  as  years 
went  on.    For  Domestic  Missions  there  is  a  slight  loss,  while  for  For- 


230  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

eign  Missions  offerings  have  doubled.  Candidates  for  Orders  have 
diminished  by  one  ;  the  average  number  during  the  ten  years  was 
seventeen.  During  this  time  the  population  of  the  Diocese  had  increas- 
ed but  7.7  per  cent.  ;  a  very  important  factor  in  the  question  of  its 
numerical  growth,  the  days  of  emigration  to  Western  New  York  being 
now  past  and  gone.  On  the  other  hand  the  growth  of  the  four  large 
towns  (Utica,  Syracuse,  Rochester  and  Buffalo)  of  about  52  per  cent, 
had  undoubtedly  strengthened  the  Church  greatly,  her  gain  being  al- 
ways largely  in  centres  of  population  ;  although  the  increase  of  com- 
municants in  proportion  to  population  does  not  show  as  much  as  in  the 
country  parishes.  The  growth  of  the  Diocese,  so  far  as  these  figures 
go,  seems  to  have  been  steady  and  substantial,  but  not  in  any  way 
remarkable  as  compared  with  earlier  years.  The  proportion  of  Com- 
municants to  population,  which  is  after  all  the  fairest  measure  of  the 
Church's  real  progress,  had  increased  from  one  in  256  in  1839,  and 
one  in  166  in  1849,  to  one  in  125  in  1859.* 

Even  in  1859  there  was  not  in  the  whole  Diocese  what  would  now 
be  called  a  large  parish,  except  perhaps  S.  Luke's,  Rochester.  The 
three  largest  of  the  now  seven  Buffalo  churches — S.  John,  S.  Paul 
and  Trinity — had  respectively  260,  248  and  270  communicants  ; 
three  in  Rochester  besides  S.  Luke,  (that  is,  Christ  Church,  S.  Paul 
and  Trinity)  had  146,  230,  and  175  ;  S.  James  and  S.  Paul,  Syra- 
cuse, 96  and  258;  and  Calvary,  Grace  and  Trinity,  Utica,  104,  200 
and  120.  One  country  parish — Geneva — reports  338  ;  one — Water- 
town — 258  ;  two — Canandaigua  and  Oswego — nearly  200  ;  four — 
Binghamton,  Batavia,  Lyons  and  Rome — over  150.  If  to  these  we 
add  Lockport  (Grace),  Bath,  Waterloo  and  Palmyra,  with  over  120 
each,  we  have  about  all  which  would  be  called  "strong"  parishes 
even  in  that  day. 

The  church-building  of  the  Diocese  had  improved  greatly  in  those 
ten  years,  though  the  churches  of  really  good  architecture  and  sub- 
stantial character  might  almost  be  counted  on  one's  fingers,  even 
including  the  wooden  ones,  some  of  which  have  lasted  longer  than 
those  of  stone.  Richard  Upjohn  had  now  become  known  as  the  first 
architect  in  the  country,  and  very  near  him  in  careful  study  of  Pointed 


*  These  last  figures  are,  more  exactly,  for  the  years  1840,  1850  and  i860  (see 
Joum.  1866,  p.  1S4);  but  they  gwt  relative  proportion  m  different  years  fairly 
enough. 


Parish  Churches  231 

architecture  (almost  exclusively  Early  English)  were  Enilcn  Littcll, 
Frank  Wills,  Dudley,  and  Congdon,  all,  happily,  careful  students 
rather  than  original  geniuses.  Upjohn's  first  work  in  the  Diocese,  if 
I  am  not  mistaken — one  of  the  first,  at  any  rate — was  a  beautiful 
stone  church  in  the  little  village  of  New  Berlin,  completed  in  1849  at 
a  cost  of  $8,000,  a  great  undertaking  for  a  country  parish  of  80  com- 
municants, none  of  them  rich.  I  cannot  of  course  describe  it,  or 
any  other,  here,  and  very  likely  it  has  been  changed,  and  perhaps 
improved,  since  I  saw  it  in  1854  ;  but  it  dwells  in  memory  as  an 
almost  perfect  rural  church,  better  than  many  later  and  costlier  ones 
in  which  the  really  great  architect  allowed  himself  to  be  governed  by 
the  wishes  of  parish  committees.  Next  to  this  was  a  little  church 
(of  wood)  in  Hamilton,  for  which  Mr.  Upjohn  gave  the  designs  on 
the  condition  that  they  should  be  executed  without  any  alteration. 
The  simple  narrow  nave  and  little  chancel  (what  used  to  be  called  a 
"budding  chancel."  often  all  that  people  could  be  persuaded  to  pay 
for,  but  in  this  case  probably  thought  sufficient)  were  afterward  crossed 
by  a  transept  doubling  its  size,  and  I  presume  it  remains  to  this 
day  as  good  as  ever,  like  the  solid  old  Norway  churches  of  the  middle 
ages,  which  nothing  but  fire  or  man's  folly  will  ever  destroy.  The 
Hamilton  church  was  copied  in  Cazenovia,  with  increased  length  of 
nave  instead  of  the  transepts,  but  of  poor  material  and  work,  and 
therefore  unsatisf actor)'  in  comparison.  Next  to  this  was  the  little 
church  at  Pulaski,  Oswego  county,  also  by  Upjohn,  much  the  same 
as  Hamilton  and  Cazenovia.  A  church  of  about  the  same  size  and 
general  character  at  Adams,  Jefferson  county,  from  designs  by  Frank 
Wills,  was  consecrated  in  July,  1850.  Six  months  later  comes  the  sec- 
ond Trinity  Church,  Watertown,  by  Upjohn,  the  first  example  in  the 
Diocese  of  his  favourite  construction  of  open-roofed  nave  and  aisles 
without  clerestory.  It  was  of  wood,  and  of  plain  Early  English  de- 
sign, but  of  considerable  size  (nave  and  aisles  io8'x  50',  tower  and 
spire  165'  high),  and  well  finished  inside  in  black  walnut,  so  that  its 
very  small  cost,  $10,300,  shows  remarkable  care  in  the  actual  details 
of  the  building.  In  September  of  the  same  year  Upjohn  completed 
another  fine  church  of  simple  Early  English  character  at  Rome,  nave, 
aisles,  chancel  and  double  bell-gable  of  stone  (with  a  second  aisle  of 
two  bays  on  the  south),  altogether  about  80'  x  50',  at  a  cost  of 
$8,000.      But  the  next  month  saw  the  consecration  of  another  church 


232  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

by  the  same  architect,  far  surpassing  in  grandeur  and  architecture  any- 
thing Western  New  York  had  seen,  S.  Paul's,  Buffalo.  This  noble 
building  was  partially  destroyed  by  fire  in  1888,  and  rebuilt  with  the 
addition  of  a  clerestory  and  another  bay  of  chancel,  but  in  other 
respects  is  substantially  the  same  outside  as  in  1851,  and  in  faithful- 
ness to  the  true  spirit  of  Early  English  architecture,  it  has  even  now 
hardly  any  superior  in  the  country,  certainly  none  in  the  old  Diocese.* 
The  original  cost  was  about  $160,000. 

A  little  church  was  built  the  next  year  at  Newark,  Wayne  county, 
from  designs  which  Mr.  Upjohn  afterwards  published  in  his  "  Rural 
Architecture,"  as  a  model  for  country  churches,  a  distinction  of  which 
they  were  well  worthy.  Their  publication  led  naturally  to  their  being 
copied  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  (in  two  or  three  instances  in  the 
Diocese,)  sometimes,  unfortunately,  with  additions  or  (more  often) 
subtractions  which  did  not  improve  them.  The  beautiful  church  (of 
wood)  for  which  they  v-ere  made,  is  now  desecrated,  and  replaced  by  a 
larger  but  not  better  one  of  stone. 

S.  James,  Syracuse,  consecrated  in  November,  1853,  was  the  first 
distinctively _/r^<?  church  of  good  size  and  enduring  material  erected  in 
the  Diocese,  the  result  of  the  heroic  energy,  perseverance,  and  self- 
denial  of  the  Rector,  Dr.  Henry  Gregory.  Frank  Wills,  its  architect, 
gained  some  points  in  this  building  over  his  greater  master,  Mr. 
Upjohn.  It  was  of  the  same  general  plan  and  size  as  that  at  Rome, 
but  of  better  material  and  construction  (being  throughout  of  free- 
stone), and  architecturally  much  superior;  its  cost  $13,000.! 

Two  very  beautiful  stone  churches  were  consecrated  in  1854,  at 
Corning  and  (Lower)  Lockport,  both  Early  English,  and  by  Wills  and 
Dudley.  Both  are  still  standing,  though  the  former  has  been  sold,1: 
and  a  larger  and  much  more  costly  one  has  taken  its  place.  The 
four  churches  last  mentioned  are  noteworthy  for  their  beautiful  interior 
finish  and  furniture  of  butternut,  one  of  the  finest  grained  of  all  the 
woods  native  to  Western  New  York. 


*  The  finest  feature  of  the  exterior — the  west  tower  and  spire  of  240  feet  in 
height — was  not  completed  till  many  years  later,  and  was  fortunately  untouched 
by  the  fire.  A  complete  and  fully  illustrated  account  of  this  beautiful  church  is 
given  in  the  "  Evans-Bartlett  History  of  S.  Paul's  Church,  Buffalo,"  just  pub- 
lished.    (Oct.,  1903.) 

t  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  some  years  ago. 

X  One  does  not  like  to  say  "desecrated,"  for  it  is  occupied  for  worship. 


>.  JOHNS  cmKCII.   1'11I.L1'.> 
Consecrated  i85(>.     Chancel  added  i8i/b 


Parish  Churches  233 

Another  little  stone  church  of  great  merit  was  completed  and  con- 
secrated at  Phelps  in  1856,  from  designs  by  Major  David  B.  Doug- 
lass,— the  last  work  of  his  life.  Built  in  the  simplest  possible  manner 
of  stone  picked  up  by  the  wayside,  and  used  in  the  rouj^h  for  several 
years  before  the  little  flock  were  able  to  finish  or  furnish  it,  the  little 
church  still  witnesses  to  the  faithfulness  of  the  architect  to  the  true  ideal 
of  the  Lord's  House,  and  of  the  people  in  giving  and  working  to  carry 
it  out.* 

I  wish  I  had  space  to  say  something  of  several  other  churches 
which  illustrate  the  remarkable  advance  made  in  this  decade  through- 
out the  Diocese  in  the  true  spirit  of  church  building  ;  such  as  the 
magnificent  Grace  Church,  Utica,  second  only  to  S.  Paul's,  Buffalo 
(and  not  in  all  respects  second  as  it  now  stands)  in  size,  cost  and 
design  ;  the  lovely  rural  church  at  Oxford  with  its  two  but  not  twin 
towers  ;  Christ  Church,  Binghamton,  the  most  perfect  in  all  its  parts, 
perhaps,  of  all  which  Upjohn  designed  for  this  Diocese  ;  Waterloo, 
hardly  less  complete  and  perfect,  by  the  same  architect ;  and 
Hornellsville,  by  Dudley.  All  these  that  I  have  mentioned  thus  far 
were,  happily,  in  the  earliest  period  of  English  Gothic. — happily, 
because  it  was  the  only  style  which  it  was  possible,  in  that  day  of 
beginnings,  to  carry  out  thoroughly  and  consistently. 

Several  other  churches  built  during  this  period,  of  considerable  size 
and  cost,  and  not  without  merit,  can  still  hardly  be  classed  with  those 
above  named  in  architectural  ethos  ;  among  them  Grace  Church, 
Lockport,  S.  John's,  Mount  Morris,  and  Christ,  Oswego,  deserve 
special  mention.  There  has  been  no  r^'A-rifjr/i?///////^  gain  in  the  true 
spirit  of  Christian  architecture  in  later  years,  so  far  as  I  can  see  ;  any 
more  than  there  has  been,  I  fear,  in  the  true  spirit  of  Christian 
doctrine  and  life  which  the  "  Oxford  movement"  awakened  among 
American  Churchmen. 

There  was  naturally  in  those  later  years  of  Bishop  De  Lancey's 
time  some  advance  in  the  ideal  of  public  worship  and  in  ritual  cus- 
toms, corresponding  to  that  in  church  architecture,  and  like  that  due 
in  part  to  the  increase  in  wealth  and  household  refinement  as  well  as 
to  liturgical  knowledge.  What  has  been  commonly  (though  inaccu- 
rately) called  the  "three-decker"  arrangement  of  pulpit,  desk  and  altar 

*A  chancel  was  added  in  1S97,  of  the  same  roadside  stone,  and  it  was  almost 
as  much  work  to  take  down  the  east  wall  of  1849,  as  to  rebuild  it. 


234  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

of  Bishop  Hobart's  day  disappeared  with  surprising  rapidity  even  in 
the  old  churches  as  soon  as  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  had  set  the 
example  for  the  new  ones,  and  at  the  close  of  this  decade  had  become 
quite  uncommon.  Often  a  chancel  was  added,  and  when  that  was 
not  done,  the  altar  was  still  put  in  its  proper  place,  and  often  used  for 
all  parts  of  the  service  except  lessons  and  sermon.  Fonts  and  cre- 
dence tables  became  not  uncommon  ;  stalls  and  sedilia,  lecturn  and 
prayer-desks  (not  Litany  desks)  adorned  the  new  churches,  and  so 
did  Easter  flowers  ;  but  retables,  dorsals,  altar-lights  were  yet  as  far 
in  the  future  as  were  "vested  choirs."  There  may  have  been  some 
altar-crosses  before  i860,  but  I  do  not  remember  them,  though  the 
cross  often  appeared  on  the  east  wall,  as  in  old  S.  John's,  Canan- 
daigua,  or  in  the  altar  window,  as  in  Trinity,  Geneva.  Memorial 
windows  were  only  beginning  ;  happily,  for  most  of  the  stained-glass 
of  that  day  was  wretched  beyond  description,  as  some  of  our  older 
country  churches  still  testify.  One  of  the  greatest  practical  improve- 
ments was  the  frequent  and  finally  universal  abolition  of  pew-doors, 
and  to  a  considerable  extent  of  pew-renting. 

In  1846,  Bishop  De  Lancey  could  say  that  "  there  was  no  substi- 
tution of  the  surplice  for  the  gown  ' '  in  the  pulpits  of  the  Diocese  ; 
but  there  was  as  early  as  1852,  first,  I  think,  by  Dr.  Ingersoll  in  Buf- 
falo, and  (with  the  Bishop's  approval)  by  Mr.  Paret  and  myself,  two 
young  deacons,  in  our  country  parishes.  By  1S59  gowns  were  dis- 
appearing in  a  great  many  parishes  ;  in  S.  Luke's,  Rochester,  that 
vestment  survived  (naturally,  with  the  pulpit)  till  quite  recently. 
Stoles  (not  coloured,  nor  embroidered  in  colour)  took  the  place  of  the 
old-fashioned  wide-flaring  scarf.  Bands  kept  their  place  to  about 
1867,  when  they  suddenly  withered  and  died  under  the  biting  satire 
of  John  Henry  Hopkins  in  the  Church  Journal.  Eucharistic  vestments 
(linen  alb  and  chasuble)  appeared  in  i860,  an  importation  from  S. 
Alban's(not  New  York,  but)  Vermont,  where  they  had  been  sanctioned 
by  Bishop  Hopkins,  possibly  at  the  suggestion  of  his  brilliant  and 
fearless  son  ;  worn  first  by  the  Rev.  N,  Barrows  at  Rome,  then  by 
two  or  three  Priests  in  Oneida  county  (including  myself)  and  Dr. 
Jackson  at  Geneva,  and  finally,  to  our  great  delight,  by  Bishop 
De  Lancey  at  his  last  Diocesan  Convention.*     The  modern  abomina- 

*They  were  called  at  first  "the  S.  Alban's  surplice,"  from  the  supposed  place 
of  their  earlier  use  (or  possibly  from  a  confusion  between  alban  and  alb)  ;  and 


RiTUAi.  Customs  235 

tions  of  short  Roman  surplices  and  stoles  covered  with  gold  did  not 
come  till  long  after ;  would  they  had  never  come ! 

Gloria  Patri  after  each  Psalm  began  to  be  sung  earlier  or  later  in 
this  decade,  not  displacing,  however,  the  time-honoured  custom  of 
Gloria  in  Kxcelsis  after  the  Evening  Psalms.  Here  and  there  the 
Priest  began  to  sing  the  ordinary  Preface  to  the  Sanclus,  instead  of 
leaving  it  ,as  in  Trinity,  Geneva)  to  a  female  chorister  in  the  organ- 
loft,  or,  as  more  often,  reading  the  whole  unmusically.  Other  worse 
customs,  such  as  handing  round  the  remainder  of  the  consecrated 
wine  to  the  people  sitting  in  their  pews,  had  mostly  disappeared  long 
before  this.  We  never  knew,  happily,  in  this  country,  the  wretched 
disputes  which  have  occurred  in  England  over  the  eastward  position, 
which  from  my  earliest  recollection  was  as  universal  in  this  diocese 
for  the  Consecration  as  the  "north  end"  was  for  the  Ante-Com- 
munion. At  Christmas,  and  sometimes  at  Easter,  the  altar  was  vested 
in  white  with  wreaths  of  evergreen  or  flowers  ;  at  other  times  there 
might  be  (not  often,  I  think)  a  scarlet  cloth  (sometimes  a  black  one  !) 
for  Feasts  and  Fasts  alike.  But  perhaps  I  have  said  quite  enough  of 
these  old-fashioned  and  almost  forgotten  ways  and  things. 

were  worn  sometimes  only  as  a  new  fashion  of  surplice,  not  as  a  distinctively 
Eucharistic  habit.  This  was  probably  the  case  with  Bishop  De  Lancey,  who  had 
expressed  to  me  only  the  day  before  his  dislike  of  a  vestment  which  "  had  to  be 
put  on  over  one's  head."  P.ut  Bishop  Coxe,  as  we  shall  see,  distinctly  approved 
and  authorized  the  alb  and  chasuble  as  Eucharistic  vestments  (referring  more  than 
once  to  my  own  as  an  approved  pattern),  and  occasionally  wore  them  in  celebrat- 
ing in  parishes  in  which  they  were  in  use,  as  he  did  in  my  own  church. 

I  must  not  leave  out  Bishop  Paret's  story  of  a  Rochester  lady  who  felt  it  her 
duty  to  provide  him  a,f£W«  by  her  own  gift  supplemented  by  those  of  his  people, 
and  whose  application  for  that  purpose  to  Mr.  Charles  Rose  (an  "  Evangelical 
Churchman  "  )  received  the  reply  that  if  Mr.  Paret  would  agree  to  wear  the  gown 
all  through  the  service,  he  would  contribute,  though  he  liked  the  surplice  better  ; 
but  he  thought  a  new  coat  would  be  a  more  useful  gift.  She  took  the  hint  and 
sent  the  money  to  the  Rector. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

THE  CIVIL  WAR  :   ELECTION  OF   COADJUTOR,    1864 

^^-^^IHE  remaining  years  of  Bishop  De  Lancey's  Episcopate 
*^|  were  occupied  largely  with  the  trials  brought  upon  the 
Diocese  in  common  with  the  whole  Church,  by  the  Civil 
War  of  1 86 1 -5.  I  need  hardly  say  that  his  part  in 
it  all,  both  official  and  personal,  was  the  thoroughly 
consistent  one  of  a  Christian  Bishop  and  a  loyal  citizen.  Of  merely 
partizan  politics  he  had,  both  constitutionally  and  from  principle,  the 
strongest  dislike  ;  and  he  repeatedly  warned  his  Clergy  against  allow- 
ing themselves  to  be  drawn  into  any  purely  political  action.  In  1856 
he  expresses  the  hope  that 

"The  Clergy  of  the  Diocese  will  continue  to  abstain,  as  they  have 
hitherto  so  uniformly  done,  from  intermingling  themselves  with  the 
political  conflicts  of  the  day.  In  cultivating  independence  of  opin- 
ion, suffrage,  action  and  expression,  we  are  never  to  forget  that  we 
serve  a  Kingdom  that  is  not  of  this  world  ;  that  the  Gospel  pulpit  is 
no  appointed  place  for  partizan  politics  ;  .  .  and  that  our  duty  is 
by  example,  precept  and  persuasion  to  allay,  not  to  provoke,  the  irri- 
tations of  party  and  the  evils  of  such  conflicts,  so  far  as  truth,  duty, 
and  the  interests  of  Christ's  Kingdom  will  allow.  For  myself,"  he 
continues,  "I  have  never  even  voted  at  an  election."* 

In  setting  forth  a  form  of  Prayer  for  the  first  National  Fast  appoint- 
ed by  the  President,  in  January,  and  again  in  September,  1861, 
and  in  the  full  tide  of  the  War  in  1862,  he  urges  upon  the  Clerg)' 
and  Laity  the  same  spirit  as  to  party  action,  but  combined  with  a 
firm  and  loyal  support  of  the  Government.  The  words  of  the  latter 
Address  are  surely  worth  giving  in  full. 

"  In  the  perils  which  hang  over  our  country,  the  deep  interest  of 
our  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is  shown  in  furnishing  statesmen  for 
her  Cabinet,  generals  for  her  Army,  and  admirals  for  her  Navy,  sol- 
diers for  her  field  and  sailors  for  her  ships.  We  have  in  this  Diocese 
discountenanced  party  political  discussions  of  State  questions,  in  her 
pulpits  and  her  Conventions,  as  inappropriate  to  the  true  objects  of 
the  Sanctuary  and  the  Synod.   No  political  action  is  needed  here.   But 


Joum.  1856,  p.  45. 


* 


Wll.l.lAM    IHOMAS  t.lHSoN 


The  Civil  War  237 

in  prayers  for  her  safely,  in  contributions  for  her  defence,  in  sacrifices 
for  her  rescue,  in  offerings  of  counsel,  life  and  treasure  for  her  preser- 
vation, we  stand  side  by  side  with  our  fellow-citizens  of  every  name 
and  faith  throughout  the  land  ;  in  the  deep  conviction  that  no  form  of 
government  has  ever  been  framed  l)y  man  so  favourable  to  the  security, 
labours  and  expansion  of  the  Church  of  God,  as  the  government 
established  by  the  Constitution  of  these  United  States  ;  which,  with- 
out a  profession  of  faith,  or  any  avowal  of  infidelity,  in  dating  its 
adoption  "  in  the  vkar  of  our  Lord,"  and  in  exacting  oaths  of  alle- 
giance, of  office,  and  testimony  in  Courts  of  justice,  in  repudiating  an 
atheist  as  a  witness,  and  in  punishing  perjury,  has  openly  recognized 
the  existence  of  Almighty  God,  and  final  rewards  and  punishments  by 
Him  :  in  which  government  the  political  and  religious  elements  are 
kept  distinct  ;  which  establishes  no  religion,  but  admits  and  protects 
all  ;  and  which  has  given  a  freedom,  opportunity,  and  countenance  to 
the  rise  and  expansion  cf  this  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  amongst 
others,  {on  which  God  has  been  graciously  pleased  to  shower  abun- 
dant blessings.)  thereby  not  only  justifying  but  exacting  in  us  the 
zealous  effort,  the  ready  contribution,  the  cheerful  sacrifice,  and  the 
fervent  prayer  that  the  rebellion  against  its  authority  may  be  sup- 
pressed,theUnion  restored,  and  this  Republic  may  ever  be  preserved; 
to  which  petition  there  is  heard  in  her  one  hundred  and  fifty  congre- 
gations in  the  Diocese,  in  loud  and  hearty  response.  Amen."* 

Which  was  veiy  well  from  one  on  whom  some  people  looked 
askance  as  '' aristocratic"  and  "English"  ("Anglophile"  was  not 
invented  then).  How  far  the  Bishop's  avoidance  of  party  politics  was 
from  indifference  to  the  great  principles  involved  is  shown  by  a 
remark  he  made  to  me  some  years  before  the  war,  which  1  cannot 
quote  exactly,  but  to  the  effect  that  we  had  a  great  national  evil  (or 
sin)  upon  us  in  the  existence  of  slavery,  and  it  did  not  seem  that  we 
were  doing  anything  to  solve  the  problem  which  sooner  or  later  must 
be  met.t  His  views  on  the  war  and  the  action  of  the  General  Con- 
vention of  1862  in  relation  to  it  are  quite  fully  given  in  an  article  in 
the  Gospel  Messenger  oi  that  date,  which  he  republished  as  a  note  to 
his  Address  of  1863.I: 

When,  in  1863,  the  draft  for  the  supply  of  the  Army  reached  the 
Clergy  of  the    Diocese,  the   Bi.shop  promptly  brought   the  matter  of 


•  Joum.  iS6r,  p.  54. 
t    I  remember  too  his  intense  and  joyful  interest  in  the  success  of  his  old  friend 
General  Meade  (once  his  Warden  in  S.   Peter's,    Philadelphia)   in  the  great  and 
decisive  battle  of  Gettysburg, 
t  Joum.  1863,  p.   27. 


238  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

their  relief  before  the  Convention,  and  at  his  instance  a  large  sum 
was  contributed  for  such  commutations  for  personal  service  as  were 
needed  ;  and  in  addition  to  this  he  addressed  to  the  President  a  let- 
ter urging  the  assignment  of  duty  as  non-combatants  to  those  who 
were  actually  brought  into  service,  which  request  was  acceded  to.  This 
letter,  fully  setting  forth  the  principles  of  the  Catholic  Church  in 
this  respect,  was  one  of  his  last  official  papers.* 

The  last  day  of  May,  1 861,  brought  to  a  successful  completion  a 
great  effort  for  the  endowment  of  Hobart  College,  begun  by  the 
munificent  legacy  of  the  Hon.  Allen  Ayrault,  and  in  which  the  Bish- 
op had  felt  the  deepest  interest.  This  involved  also  the  erection  of 
the  present  College  Chapel,  the  gift  of  William  B.  Douglas,  and  the 
endowment  of  the  Chaplaincy.  How  the  Bishop  felt  about  this  last 
office  and  its  duties  appears  in  some  words  of  his  Address  of   i860. 

"The  religious  part  of  education,"  he  says,  "is  that  in  which  the 
Diocese  is  most  deeply  concerned.  Education  needed  by  boys  in 
College  is  Physical,  Intellechcal,  Moral  and  Spiritual.  The  first  is 
very  slightly  attended  to  in  any  of  our  Colleges.  [Forty  years 
ago.]  The  second  commands  the  urgent  zeal  of  the  teachers  ;  the 
third  shares  a  portion  of  their  anxiety  and  efforts.  But  the  fourth, 
alike  difficult  and  delicate,  demands,  what  it  seldom  receives,  the 
care,  exertion,  vigilance,  guidance  and  instruction  of  a  Pastor  in 
the  College,  disconnected  with  its  police,  and  independent  of  the 
collisions  between  the  Faculty  and  Students  ;  a  spiritual  guide  and 
counsellor,  to  whom  the  students  might  go  as  to  a  parent,  "f 

With  these  views  the  Chaplaincy  was  founded  by  that  devoted 
Churchman  and  generous  friend  of  Hobart  College,  John  Hewett  Swift 
of  New  York  ;  the  corner-stone  of  S.  John's  Chapel  was  laid  at  the 
Commencement  of  1862,  with  a  grand  address  from  one  of  the  Alum- 
ni, the  Rev.  Dr.  William  T.  Gibson,  which  should  have  been  scat- 
tered far  and  wide  in  pamphlet  form  as  well  as  published  in  the 
Messenger  \X  zxv^  on  Oct.  29,  1863,  the  consecration  took  place, 
with   a  Sermon   at  the  Bishop's  request  by  the   Rev.    Dr.    Morgan 


*  See  Joum.  1863,  p.  60,  82;   1864,  p.  56,  seq. ;    1865,  p.  171. 

t  Joum.  i860,  p.  56.  See  also  the  Memorial  of  the  Alumni  on  the  Chaplain- 
cy, in  the  same  Journal,  p.  68. 

X  Gospel  Messenger,  XXXVI.  122,  (Aug.  7,  1862,)  where  it  appears  by  the 
request  of  the  Bishop  and  the  President  of  the  College. 


Clergy  of    1859-65  239 

Dix.*  It  is  noteworthy  that  at  the  same  Commencement  at  which 
the  corner-stone  of  the  Chapel  was  laid, "Linden  Hall  was  crowded 
with  a  brilliant  audience  from  far  and  near  to  hear  the  address  of 
the  Rev.  A.  Cleveland  Coxe,  D.D.,  of  Baltimore,  before  the  Chris- 
tian Brotherhood,"  on  "Christian  Education  as  a  training  in  the 
School  of  Christ."  The  Messenger  gives  only  a  brief  summary  of 
the  address,!  (which  was  for  the  most  part  extempore,)  but  its  charm 
will  never  fade  from  the  memory  of  those  who  were  fortunate  enough 
to  hear  it.  It  was  the  first  official  visit  of  Bishop  Coxe  to  his  future 
Diocese. 

Other  great  changes  had  taken  place  in  Hobart  College.  Dr. 
Hale,  of  whose  twenty-three  years'  labours  and  sacrifices  I  have 
spoken  elsewhere,  had  been  compelled  by  failing  health  to  resign  the 
Presidency,  and  his  place  had  been  filled  since  1858  by  the  Rev. 
Abner  Jackson,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  of  Trinity  College,  Hartford.  Dr. 
Jackson's  wise,  energetic  and  most  faithful  administration  continued 
for  nine  years,  bringing  many  friends  and  increased  public  favour  to 
the  College  as  well  as  the  large  additions  to  its  endowments  which 
were  due  \Gxy  much  to  his  efforts  and  influence.  He  was  also  hard- 
ly inferior  to  Dr.  Hale  in  the  amiable  disposition  and  courteous 
address  which  go  so  far  in  making  such  an  office  practically  success- 
ful. With  him  were  associated  Henry  Hobart  Bates  of  the  class  of 
'54,  William  Watts  Folwell  of  '57,  afterwards  President  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Minnesota,  Albert  S.  Wheeler  of  '51,  now  of  Yale,  and 
generally  regarded  as  the  best  Greek  scholar  Hobart  ever  had,  and 
the  Rev.  Francis  T.  Russell,  late  of  the  General  Theological  Semi- 
nar>'.  In  1863  the  Chaplaincy  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of  the 
Rev.  Henry  A.  Neely  of  Rochester,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Maine, 
who  remained  however  only  two  years,  becoming  an  Assistant  Minis- 
ter of  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  at  the  close  of   1864. 

Of  the  Clergy  added  to  the  Diocese  meanwhile,  and  not  already 
mentioned,  there  is  specially  to  be  noted  John  J.  Brandegee,  who  for 
ten  years,  till  his  lamented  death  in  1864,  was  Rector  of  Grace 
Church,  Utica,  and  under  whom  was  built  the  magnilicent  church  of 


»  Also  printed  in  the  Messenger,  XXXVII.  174  (Nov.  5,  1S63).  This  Ser- 
mon was  also  published  in  pamphlet  form  ;  and  it  ought  to  be  read  again  and  again 
after  these  forty  years. 

t    Gospel  Messenger,  XXXVI.  114.  (July  24,   1S62.) 


240  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

that  parish, — a  man  of  much  intellectual  ability,  great  earnestness  and 
faithfulness  in  pastoral  work,  and  personally  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
him  well.  Others  who  deserve,  for  excellence  of  personal  character 
and  devoted  and  successful  work,  much  more  than  the  mere  mention 
of  their  names,  were  first  of  all  Theodore  Babcock,  Dr.  Hills 's  suc- 
cessor in  VVatertown  in  1857,  who  was  a  leader  in  the  Diocese  through 
Bishop  De  Lancey's  last  years,  and  in  the  founding  of  the  See  of 
Central  New  York,  in  which  he  still  remains,  first  in  years  and 
honour  ;*  then  Thomas  L.  Franklin  of  Mount  Morris,  Edward  Z. 
Lewis  of  Corning,  William  W.  Montgomery  of  Lyons,  William  O. 
Jarvis  of  Niagara  Falls,  Samuel  H.  Norton  of  Fredonia,  Benjamin 
Watson  of  S.  Luke's,  Rochester,  Duncan  Cameron  Mann  of  Watkins, 
William  N.  Irish  of  Geneseo,  Christopher  S.  Leffingwell  of  Canan- 
daigua,  Alexander  H.  Rogers,  John  Brainard  of  Auburn  (now  for 
forty  years),  Orlando  Witherspoon,  Hugh  L.  M.  Clarke,  Warren  W. 
Walsh,  Robert  M.  Duif,  and  Jedediah  Winslow. 

At  the  Convention  of  1861  the  Bishop  gave  his  Fourth  and  last 
Charge  to  the  Clergy,  on  "The  Needs  of  the  Diocese."  The 
"  Needs  "  which  he  set  forth  were  those  arising  from  defective  prin- 
ciples of  action  ;  such  as  a  higher  appreciation  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  as  a  Divine  Institution,  of  the  personal  relation  to  God  in 
Christ  which  membership  in  the  Church  implies,  of  the  actual  claims 
and  demands  of  Christ  upon  our  time  and  talents,  our  families  and 
our  means,  and  of  the  earnestness  with  which  we  should  consecrate 
ourselves  individually  to  His  service  ;  and  the  duty  of  doing  all  that  in 
us  lies  to  extend  the  blessings  of  Christ  and  His  Church  to  all  within 
our  reach.  The  Charge  goes  on,  as  I  remember  it,  to  illustrate  very 
specifically  the  application  of  these  principles. 

Up  to  this  time  the  Bishop  had  been  able  to  fulfil  all  his  varied  and 
increasing  duties  with  great  regularity  and  almost  unremitting  labour, 
in  spite  of  warnings  from  time  to  time  of  failing  strength.  The  only 
interruptions  of  active  duty  came  from  occasional  attacks  of  gout,  a 
hereditary  ailment  from  which  even  his  remarkably  regular  and  tem- 
perate habits  did  not  protect  him.  In  June,  1861,  a  serious  accident 
in  the  streets  of  New  York,  (being  struck  and  thrown  down  by  the 


♦His  venerable  father,  the  Rev.  Deodatus  Babcock,  D.D.,  should  have  been 
noted  on  p.  58,  as  Missionary  at  Buffalo  in  1820-24. 


Si  I  r. 


TT    .  _ 


An  Assistant  Bishop  241 

pole  of  an  omnibus,)  disabled  him  for  several  months,  and  was  prob- 
ably not  without  some  permanent  effect  on  his  health.  He  took  his 
full  part  in  the  work  of  the  General  Conventions  of  1859  and  1862, 
the  latter  under  the  especially  trying  circumstances  of  the  war,  and  in 
some  of  the  most  oppressive  weather  (although  in  October)  ever 
known  in  New  York  ;  and  in  1863,  in  a  tedious  and  vexatious  com- 
plication arising  from  an  attempt  in  the  Senate  of  New  York  to  alter 
very  seriously  the  Acts  for  the  Incorporation  of  Parishes,  against  the 
protests  of  both  of  the  Dioceses  of  the  State,  so  as  to  make  the  Rector 
no  longer  an  integral  part  of  the  Vestry.  The  project  was  defeated, 
but  at  the  expense  of  much  labour  and  anxiety.* 

In  January,  the  Bishop  had  the  great  pleasure  of  taking  part  in  the 
consecration  of  the  Church  du  S.  Esprit  in  New  York,  the  successor  of 
one  which  his  ancestor  Etienne  De  Lancey  had  helped  to  found. f 

The  Convention  of  1863,  in  Christ  Church,  Rochester,  had  for 
the  first  time  a  fair  attempt  at  a  choral  service,  the  clergy  acting  as 
choristers.  The  preacher  was  the  present  Bishop  of  Maryland. 
That  of  1864  in  Grace  Church,  Utica,  was  preceded  by  the  conse- 
cration of  that  noble  building,  with  a  Sermon  from  the  Bishop  of 
New  York,  who  attended  also  the  opening  services,  at  which  the 
Preacher  was  President  Jackson. t  Bishop  De  Lancey,  after  the 
usual  account  of  his  labours  for  the  year,  showing  many  interruptions 
and  failures  from  illness,  went  on  to  say  : 

"After  the  examination  and  opinion  of  my  physicians,  my  own 
experience  and  observation,  and  the  uncertain  operation  of  the 
hazardous  disease  which  is  said  to  affect  me,  I  deem  it  my  duty,  on 
reflection  and  prayer,  after  the  frequent  and  long-established  practice 
of  the  Church  in  this  countr)',  to  ask  the  aid  of  an  Assistant  in  my 
ofhce,  to  be  appointed  at  this  Convention,  that  thus,  I  trust,  the 
career  of  prosperity  with  which  our  Divine  Lord  has  heretofore 
blessed  the  Diocese  may  not  be  interrupted." 

This  message  was  not  unexpected,  as  it  had  been  known  for  some 
time  that  the  Bishop  had  thought  of  asking  for  an  Assistant.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  feeling  in  the  Diocese — mostly  among  the  Cler- 
gy— negatively  against  the   policy  of  electing  an  Assistant,  and  posi- 

»  Joum.  1863,  p.  35.     t  Id.  p.  161. 

X  The  Bishop  ordained  three  Deacons,  George  L.  Chase,  Robert  M.  Duff, 
and  Warren  W.  Walsh,  all  graduates  of  Hobart.  It  was  Bishop  De  Lancey'. 
last  ordination. 


242  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

tively  in  favour  of  a  speedy  division  of  the  Diocese.  On  this  latter 
point  the  Bishop,  while  recognizing  that  division  must  come  in  the 
near  future,  would  only  say  that  "he  hoped  it  might  not  come  in  his 
time."  But  whatever  the  wishes  of  individual  members  might  be, 
his  request  was  felt  by  all  to  be  practically  imperative.  It  was  re- 
ferred to  a  Committee  of  seven  clergymen  and  seven  laymen,  who 
reported  the  next  day  resolutions  providing  for  the  immediate  elec- 
tion of  an  Assistant  Bishop,  with  a  salary  of  $3,500  to  be  raised  by 
quarterly  collections,  leaving  the  income  of  the  Episcopate  Fund  in 
full  for  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese.  Some  discussion  followed  as  to 
ways  and  means,  but  in  the  evening  the  resolutions  as  reported  by 
the  Committee  were  adopted,  in  spite  of  an  earnest  plea  from  the 
Hon.  George  W.  Clinton  of  Buffalo,  seconded  by  several  others,  for 
"more  time  "  to  consider  this  subject,  which,  they  declared,  had 
taken  them  by  surprise. 

The  election  of  the  Assistant  Bishop  was  held  on  Friday  morning, 
August  19,  1864,  in  the  same  church.  And  here  I  must  be  allowed 
to  tell  the  story  partly  at  least  in  propria  persona.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  many  came  to  the  Convention,  as  I  did,  with  a  determination 
(cherished  for  years)  to  vote  for  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  whether 
any  others  did  or  not,  but  utterly  ignorant  of  any  plans  made  or 
action  taken  to  that  effect.  It  was  only  on  the  second  day  that  I 
found  that  many  of  the  yoimger  clergy  had  reached  the  same  con- 
clusion, and  only  on  the  actual  morning  of  the  election,  that  Dr. 
Shelton  proposed  to  nominate  him  on  behalf  of  the  elder  clergy. 
After  a  brief  consultation  with  him,  we  went  together  to  the  Bishop 
to  ask  his  consent  to  the  nomination  of  Dr.  Coxe  by  Dr.  Shelton, 
seconded  by  me  as  representing  the  younger  clergy,*  expressing  our 
conviction  that  if  thus  nominated  he  would  certainly  be  elected  on  the 
first  ballot.  But  the  Bishop  positively  refused.  "  No  nomination," 
he  said,  "  had  ever  been  made  in  this  Diocese,  and  it  was  not  a  good 
precedent ;  if  one  was  nominated,  others  would  be,  and  it  would  be 
followed  by  debate  and  strife."  After  much  argument  without  mak- 
ing any  apparent  impression  on  the  Bishop,  Dr.   Shelton  said,  "  Is 

*  Perhaps  I  should  say  in  explanation  of  my  taking  this  part,  that  I  had  been 
for  a  nunaber  of  years  (since  1857)  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Convention,  which 
had  brought  me  into  closer  relations  with  the  Bishop, — a  part  of  my  duty  being 
the  preparation  of  the  Reports  and  other  papers  for  the  Journal,  in  which  Bishop 
De  Lancey  took  much  interest. 


Election  of  Bishop  Coxk  243 

that  your  deliberate  opinion  ?"  "  Yes,"  said  the  Bishop.  "  That  is 
enough,"  replied  the  Doctor,  and  we  took  our  seats.  After  Morning 
Prayer,  the  Bishop  addressed  the  Convention  very  briefly,  a  space  was 
given  for  silent  prayer,  and  several  collects  were  said.  The  names  of 
the  Clergy  were  called  in  alphabetical  order,  and  each  in  his  turn 
went  forward  and  deposited  his  vote,  profound  silence  and  quiet  being 
kept  through  this  long  roll-call  of  93  clergymen  and  80  parishes,  for 
each  of  which  one  layman  gave  the  ballot.* 

During  the  absence  of  the  Tellers,  several  of  the  usual  Reports 
were  read,  and  some  other  routine  business  transacted.  It  was  not 
long  before  they  returned  with  the  announcement  that  of  the  89 
votes  given  by  the  Clergy,  the  Rev.  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe  had 
received  53,  a  majority  of  17  over  all  others  ;  and  of  67  parishes,  52 
had  voted  for  him,  all  but  thirteen  of  the  whole  number.  Here  I 
may  be  pardoned  for  quoting  from  a  diary  written  at  the  time. 

"The  scene  in  the  Convention  at  this  time  was  of  surpassing  inter- 
est ;  the  sudden  transition  from  solemn  and  anxious  thought  to  exul- 
tant joy, — a  feeling  which  I  believe  was  universal  even  among  those 
who  had  voted  for  other  persons, — was  something  never  before  seen  in 
our  Convention.  The  detail  of  the  vote  showed  for  Dr.  Coxe,  in 
both  Orders,  105,  Dr.  Leeds  (formerly  of  Grace  Church,  Utica)  17, 
Dr.  Rankine  15,  Dr.  Mahan  7,  Dr.  Dix  4,  Dr.  Littlejohn  3.  Dr. 
Van  Deusen  (of  Utica)  2,  Dr.  Jackson  i,  Dr.  Morton  (of  Philadel- 
phia) I,  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Piatt  i. 

"The  Bishop  announced  that  by  a  concurrent  vote  of  both  Orders, 
the  Rev.  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  D.D.,  was  elected  Assistant  Bish- 
op, and  on  motion  of  Dr.  Beach,  seconded  by  Dr.  Claxton  of  S. 
Luke's,  Rochester,  the  election  was  made  unanimous.  Goodrich 
was  already  (at  my  urgent  request)  seated  at  the  organ,  which  instant- 
ly gave  the  key-note  of  the  old  Gloria  in  Exce/sis,  and  the  whole 
Convention  rose  and  sang  it  with  an  irrepressible  tide  of  feeling,  the 
tears  rolling  down  the  cheeks  of  very  many,  young  and  old  alike." 

But  even  this  was  not  enough  for  our  Palinurus,  Dr.  Shelton,  who 
followed  (in  his  own   delightfully  quaint   and   inimitable   style)  with 

*The  Tellers  for  the  Clergy  were  Drs.  Shelton  and  Bissell,  and  the  Hon.  Wil- 
liam C.  Pierrepont;  for  the  Laity,  Dr.  Metcalf,  Gen.  John  H.  Martindale,  and 
Dr.  Charles  B.  Coventry.  The  Rev.  Alfred  B.  Goodrich  was  a  second  Assist- 
ant Secretary  for  this  occasion.  Three  of  the  tellers  (Drs.  Shelton  and  Metcalf 
and  Mr.  Pierrepont)  had  fulfilled  the  same  duty  at  the  election  of  Bishop 
De  Lancey  in  1838. 


244  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

the  story  of  the  efforts  made  by  himself  and  others  to  "find  the  best 
man;"  of  his  going  to  the  Bishop  weeks  before  and  imploring  him 
to  nominate  an  Assistant,  whom  the  Diocese  would  certainly  elect ; 
of  the  Bishop's  refusal  to  name  any  one — "Would  he  be  satisfied 
with  Dr.  Dix?"  "Entirely."  "Would  he  be  satisfied  with  Dr. 
Coxe?"  'Entirely."  And  so  on.  "There  had  been  no  caucussing 
anywhere  in  the  Diocese— no  wire-pulling — no — miserable  nonsense" 
— and  here  a  hearty  laugh  all  over  the  house  at  the  Doctor's  charac- 
teristic expression  instantly  ended  his  narrative.  Meanwhile  I  had 
dispatched  to  Dr.  Coxe  at  his  house  in  Gramercy  Park,  New  York, 
through  his  brother  Dr.  S.  Hanson  Coxe,  this  telegram  : 

"  You  are  elected  Assistant  Bishop  of  Western  New  York  on  the 
first  ballot." 

Dr.  Coxe  was  away  from  home  at  this  time,  as  it  happened,  but 
two  or  three  days  later  I  received  a  note  from  him  that  the  message 
"was  received  with  surprise  and  emotion,"  and  he  awaited  fuller 
communications. 

The  next  thing  was  the  signing  of  the  Testimonials  for  the  Bishop- 
elect,  which  up  to  this  time  no  one,  apparently,  had  thought  of. 
With  some  difficulty  two  sheets  of  parchment  were  obtained,  and 
while  the  names  were  being  written  on  one,  it  fell  to  me  to  fill  out  the 
other  with  such  ' '  Old  English  ' '  engrossing  as  the  circumstances  per- 
mitted ;  for  the  sake  of  the  signatures  the  sheet  was  afterwards  pho- 
tographed and  many  copies  taken,  but  I  have  not  seen  one  for  many 
years.*  The  signing  occupied  of  course  a  long  time,  and  as  soon  as 
it  was  completed  the  Convention  adjourned  sine  die,  not  however 
without  having  transacted  a  considerable  amount  of  routine  business  ; 
resolutions  providing  for  the  consecration  of  the  Bishop-elect,  if  possi- 
ble within  the  Diocese;  appropriating  $i,ooo  for  his  removal;  of 
thanks  to  the  Bishop  of  New  York  for  his  presence  and  sermon,  and  in 
memory  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brandegee,  late  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  who 
died  April  6,  1864.     A  Committee  appointed  to  consider  the  matter  of 

*See  the  names  in  Joum.  1865,  p.  174.  Of  the  79  clergymen  and  85  laymen 
signing,  16  clergymen  and  (as  far  as  known  to  me)  only  3  laymen  are  now  living. 
The  latter  were  of  course  older  men,  as  a  general  thing. 


^:^    H 


^^X^c^^^^IX- 


^;:^^ir~^Ss<or 


Election  of  Bishop  Cgxe  245 

providing  for  the  Widows  of  Clergymen    of  the    Diocese  made    an 
indefinite  report,  and  was  continued  to  the  next  year. 
So  ended  this  memorable  Council.* 


*  Without  detracting  from  Dr.  Shelton's  services  in  the  election  of  Bishop 
Coxe,  I  "have  no  doubt  that  Dr.  Jackson,  then  President  of  Ilobart  College,  and 
an  intimate  friend  of  the  future  Hishop,  had  much  to  do  with  it.  But  after  all, 
it  seems  to  have  been  very  much  a  spontaneous  thing.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
with  most  of  the  Clergy,  as  with  myself,  and  perhaps  with  a  great  many  of  the 
I.aity,  it  was  due  simply  to  the  picture  of  the  man  formed  from  his  "Christian 
Ballads."  The  man  who  could  write  those  must  be  the  man,  we  thought,  to 
succeed  such  a  Churchman  as  Hishop  De  Lancey.  Most  of  us  knew  little  of 
him  outside  of  that  book.  It  has  been  often  said,  and  may  be  true,  that  the 
Bishop's  family,  and  perhaps  the  Bishop  himself,  would  have  preferred  Dr.  Ran- 
kine,  of  Geneva  ;  and  an  e.xcellent  Bishop  he  would  have  made.  Still  it  seems  to 
me  that  if  ever  an  Episcopal  election  was  carried  by  a  sort  of  inspiration,  it  was 
this  one. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 


CONSECRATION  OF  BISHOP  COXE 

DE  LANCEY 


DEATH  OF  BISHOP 


R.  Coxe's  acceptance  of  his  election  as  Coadjutor, 
addressed  to  Bishop  De  Lancey,  is  dated  Sept.  24, 
1864. 

"Reverend  Father  in  God  :  The  official  notice  of 
my  election  to  be  Assistant  Bishop  of  Western  New 
York  was  received  on  the  first  instant,  and  was  duly  acknowledged. 
I  now  write  to  say  that  I  ha\'e  decided  to  accept  the  office  and  work 
to  which  I  believe  God  has  called  me. 

"If  for  some  time  I  have  seemed  to  hesitate,  it  has  not  been  from 
the  want  of  a  deep  sense  of  the  solemnity,  unanimity,  and  singular 
purity  of  the  election,  but  rather  from  a  desire  that  my  decision 
might  correspond  in  all  respects  with  what  was  so  religiously  done, 
and  that  it  might  be  the  result  of  mature  reflection  and  an  earnest 
endeavour  to  know  the  will  of  God. 

"In  common  with  my  brethren  of  your  Diocese,  I  shall  rejoice  to 
look  up  to  you  for  guidance  and  direction  ;  and  awaiting  the  further 
commands  of  the  Church,  I  commend  myself  to  your  prayers,  and 
to  your  paternal  benediction. 

"With  my  respects  to  the  other  members  of  your  Committee,*  I 
am,  Reverend  Father  in  God,  in  filial  love  and  reverence,  faithfully 
yours, 

"A.  Cleveland  Coxe." 

All  the  requirements  of  the  Canons  were  completed  Dec.  i,  1864 
by  the  reception  of  the  consents  to  the  Consecration  from  a  majority 
of  the  Standing  Committees  and  Bishops,  the  commission  of  the 
Presiding  Bishop  appointing  Bishop  De  Lancey  as  Consecrator,  and 
the  Bishop's  appointment  for  the  Consecration  at  Geneva,  Jan.  4, 
1865. 

I  have  said  (p.  241)  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  feeling  in  the 
Diocese  that  the  election  of  an  Assistant  Bishop  did  not  at  all  meet 
its  needs,  although  no  one  ventured  to  oppose  Bishop  De  Lancey 's 
request  for  such  action.     But  after  the  election,  a  series  of  articles  in 

*  The  Committee  of  Notification  were  Bishop  De  Lancey,  Dr.  Shelton  and 
Gen  John  H.  Martindale.  The  notice  was  delivered  to  the  Bishop-elect  in  per- 
son by  Dr.  Shelton,  Sept.  i,  1864.     See  Journ.  1865,  p.  177. 


Consecration    of  Bishop  Coxe  247 

a  Buffalo  paper  pointing  out  the  need  in  that  part  of  the  Diocese  of  a 
whole  Bishop,  provoked  quite  an  active  controversy  in  the  Messenger 
for  some  weeks,  and  in  argument  the  Buffalo  writer,  (who  was,  I 
believe,  the  late  Rev.  Orlando  Witherspoon,  Rector  of  S.  John's 
Church,  Buffalo,  a  man  of  great  energy  and  ability  as  a  Parish  Priest) 
had  much  the  best  of  it,  so  much  so  as  to  alarm  several  of  the  Buffalo 
clergy  into  a  solemn  disclaimer  of  any  projects  of  division. 

After  the  Convention  of  1864,  Bishop  De  Lancey  undertook  no 
official  duty  out  of  his  own  house  until  the  Consecration  of  Bishop  Coxe, 
reserving  all  his  failing  strength  for  that  occasion.  Visitations  were 
made  for  him  in  September  and  October  by  the  Bishops  of  New  Jer- 
sey (Odenheimer)  and  Michigan  (McCoskry),  both  of  whom  were  old 
and  much-loved  friends,  the  former  having  been  his  Assistant  in  S. 
Peter's,  Philadelphia.  I  need  hardly  say  that  these  services  were 
most  acceptable  to  the  parishes  visited  as  well  as  to  the  Bishop. 

The  Consecration  took  place  as  appointed,  in  Trinity  Church, 
Geneva,  on  the  Wednesday  before  Epiphany,*  Jan.  4.  1865.  The 
appointed  co-consecrators  were  the  Bishops  of  Michigan,  Maryland, 
Assistant  of  Connecticut,  New  York  and  New  Jersey.  Two  of  these, 
Bishops  Whittingham  and  Williams,  could  not  attend,  and  the  place  of 
one  of  them  was  filled  by  Bishop  Talbot ;  and  in  addition  there 
was  present  accidentally,  as  it  were,  but  by  invitation,  the  Bishop 
of  Vermont  (Hopkins),  who  only  eight  days  later,  by  the  death  of 
Bishop  Brownell,  became  Presiding  Bishop,  but  on  this  occasion  took 
his  place  below  all  the  appointed  consecrators.  Of  the  clergy  of  the 
Diocese  62  were  present;  from  New  York  10,  Pennsylvania  3,  Mas- 
sachusetts I ,  Connecticut  i ,  Maryland  i ,  Colorado  i ,  Kentucky  i . 
Of  these  last,  nine,  Drs.  W,  S.  Walker,  Leeds,  Bolles  and  Hobart, 
and  Neely,  Luson,  Miller,  Townsend  and  Granger  had  been  formerly 
of  this  Diocese.  Four  of  the  whole  number,  it  may  be  added,  had 
taken  part  in  the  consecration  of  Bishop  De  Lancey;  Drs.  Shelton, 
Bolles  and  Metcalf,  and  Ferdinand  Rogers,  f 

The  Bishops  and  clergy  met  in  the  basement  Sunday  School  Room, 


*  Dies  lion  in  the  Calendar  of  the  Western  Church;  the  "  Feast  of  the  Seventy 
Disciples"  in  the  Eastern. 

t  Dr.  She'iton  was  probably  present  also  at  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Onder- 
donk  in  1830;  but  I  have  found  no  record  of  the  attendance  on  that  occasion. 
Dr.  Shelton  was  the  senior  of  all  present  in  1S63,  except  Bishop  De  Lancey. 


248  Diocese  of   Western  New  York 

(with  the  exception  of  Bishop  De  Lancey,  who  was  robed  at  home 
and  taken  directly  to  his  seat  at  the  Altar,)  and  entered  through  the 
little  vestry-room,  those  without  surplices  (about  a  dozen)  heading 
the  long  procession.  The  Bishop-elect  was  attended  by  Drs.  Jack- 
son and  Rankine  (both  former  colleagues  in  Hartford).  An  official 
account  of  the  service  is  given  in  the  Journal  of  1865,  but  I  venture 
to  substitute  for  it  here  one  taken  from  my  own  diary. 

"Morning  Prayer  was  said  by  Drs.  S.  H.  Coxe,  Beach,  Claxton, 
Hobart,  Van  Rensselaer  and  IngersoU  ;  the  Ante-Communion  by  the 
Bishops  of  Vermont,  Michigan  and  New  Jersey,  and  Bishop  Talbot. 
Bishop  De  Lancey's  part  throughout  was  only  the  Lord's  Prayer  and 
Collect  beginning  the  Communion  Service,  the  Bidding  to  Prayer  for 
the  Bishop-elect,  the  Consecrating  Prayer,  formula,  delivery  of  Bible 
and  charge,  and  final  Benediction.  I  was  considerably  interested  in 
the  Sermon  by  Bishop  Odenheimer,  on  the  Apostolic  Episcopate,  its 
nature,  and  its  mission  of  blessing  to  the  whole  world,  more  espe- 
cially to  Christendom,  as  the  only  possible  basis  of  Christian  Unity.  It 
was  well  and  clearly  arranged  ;  not  deep  nor  argumentative, — perhaps 
the  occasion  and  time  hardly  admitted  of  that, — but  presenting  impor- 
tant facts  broadly  and  distinctly  for  consideration.  The  address  at 
the  close  to  the  Bishop-elect  was  more  than  eloquent,  for  all  round  the 
chancel  there  were  tearful  eyes,  including  those  of  the  Bishop-elect 
himself. 

"The  presentation  of  the  Candidate  by  Bishops  Odenheimer  and 
Talbot  was  followed  by  the  reading  of  the  various  papers  and  testi- 
monials required,  by  Dr.  IngersoU  and  the  Secretaries,  Matson,  Good- 
rich and  myself.  The  Litany  was  said  by  Bishop  Potter ;  the  Bishop- 
elect  was  vested  by  his  attendants,  and  the  Consecration  performed 
by  Bishop  De  Lancey,  assisted  by  Bishops  Hopkins,  M'Coskry,  Pot- 
ter, Odenheimer  and  Talbot,  all  of  whom  took  part  in  the  celebration 
of  the  Holy  Communion." 

It  may  be  added  that  some  of  the  accessories  of  the  service  were 
not  all  that  could  be  desired.  An  efifort  had  been  made  by  two  or 
three  of  the  clergy  skilled  in  music  (with  the  Rector's  cordial  con- 
sent) to  have  plain  hearty  congregational  singing,  led  by  the  clergy, 
as  had  been  done  several  times  at  the  Diocesan  Conventions,  and 
very  successfully.  But  this  plan  unfortunately  broke  down  on  the 
delicate  question  of  superseding  the  organist  by  one  accustomed  to 
such  a  service,  and  the  music  was  left  to  the  choir,  which  consisted 
then  of  one  male  and  two  or  three  female  voices  in  the  west-end  organ 
loft.     Their  music  was  not  usually  bad  of  iis  kind,  but  on  this  occa- 


W  ALIKR   AN  k.Al   I.I 


Consecration  of  Bishop  Coxe  249 

sion  it  did  seem  utterly  unsuited  to  the  service, — and  certainly  it  was 
not  an  edifying  spectacle  to  see  nearly  a  hundred  surpliced  clergymen 
(to  say  nothing  of  the  whole  congregation)  mutely  listening  (with  no 
very  devotional  feeling,  I  fear)  to  two  or  three  female  voices  in  a 
gallery  singing  \''enite  and  Te  Deum. 

To  make  the  matter  as  bad  as  possible,  it  had  been  arranged  by 
the  Bishops  the  night  before  that  on  the  receiving  of  the  Bishop-elect 
into  the  sanctuary,  immediately  after  his  consecration,  Gloria  Patri 
should  be  sung,  led  by  Bishop  Talbot,  untlioitt  (he  or^an.  In  the 
excitement  of  the  moment,  I  presume,  the  good  Bishop  began  ''Glory 
be  to  God  on  liigli,"  to  "Pelham  Humfrey"  in  C  !  Of  course  no 
one  could  join  in,  and  this  solitar)'  effort  at  congregational  singing  came 
to  an  instant  and  melancholy  end.  What  Bishop  Coxe's  emotions 
were  I  never  heard  him  say ;  but  he  did  say  to  me  some  weeks  (or 
months)  afterwards,  "O,  if  we  could  only  have  had  the  Pose  of 
Sharon  instead  of  that  Te  Deum  /"  * 

The  Bishop-Coadjutor  (who  was  called  "Assistant  Bishop"  in 
those  days)  began  his  work  in  the  Diocese  on  the  Sunday  after  his 
consecration,  Jan.  8,  in  S.  Peter's,  Auburn,  where  Bishop  Hobart  had 
laid  down  his  life,  and  Bishop  De  Lancey  had  been  consecrated. t  And 
it  is  noteworthy  that  his  first  service  was  given  to  the  convicts  in  the 
State  Prison  at  Auburn.  He  made  a  rapid  visitation  during  the 
remaining  three  weeks  of  January, visiting  some  thirty  parishes, and  con- 


*  Calling  at  Bishop  De  Lancey's  late  on  the  eve  of  the  Consecration,  I  found 
all  the  Bishops  there  arranging  details,  among  other  things  the  "Sentence  of 
Consecration"  to  be  signed  by  them,  which  Dr.  Hobart,  the  Registrar,  had 
brought  written  on  a  foolscap  sheet.  Bishop  Odenheimer  insisted  that  that  would 
not  do,  it  must  be  propeily  engrossed  on  parchment;  and  two  hours  later  Dr. 
Hobart  called  on  w/^with  a  sheet  of  parchment  which  he  had  somehow  obtained, 
and  a  request  to  have  it  "engrossed"  and  re<.dy  for  the  signatures  early  in  the 
morning  !  I  complied, — not  very  willingly,  I  fear, — and  finished  the  work  by 
sitting  up  most  of  the  night,  with  the  result  that  I  was  barely  able  to  take  my 
part  in  the  service  the  next  day,  and  had  to  go  to  bed  before  it  was  over;  and 
after  all,  the  parchment  was  not  signed  in  full  till  weeks  afterward,  having  been 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Darby,  a  most  accomplished  artist,  to 
have  illuminated  capitals  added.  I  believe  that  Bishop  De  Lancey's  signature 
was  filially  obtained  only  a  few  days  before  he  died. — To  finish  these  personal 
reminiscences, — I  had,  unfortunately,  a  somewhat  conspicuous  place  on  one  side 
of  the  chancel,  and  I  learned  afterwards  that  my  illness  and  leaving  the  church 
was  suj>posed  to  be  because  I  could  not  endure  the  music  ! 

+  And  where  he  himself  had  been  a  worshipper  at  eighteen.     See  Chap.  XLV. 


250  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

firming  526  persons  ;  ending  with  the  Institution  on  Jan.  31,  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Edwin  M.  Van  Deusen  as  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  Utica, 
at  which  his  extempore  sermon  was  one  of  extraordinary  fervour  and 
eloquence,  and  long  remembered  by  those  who  heard  it,  among 
whom  were  eighteen  of  the  clergy  of  the  Diocese.  Thence  he  re- 
turned to  New  York  to  close  his  parochial  relations  with  his  beloved 
people  of  Calvary  Church,  and  to  complete  an  effort  he  had  been  mak- 
ing for  the  endowment  of  a  Professorship  in  the  General  Theological 
Seminary. 

From  these  duties  he  was  recalled  early  in  April  by  the  last  ill- 
ness and  death  of  Bishop  De  Lancey. 

Although  unable  even  to  leave  his  house  for  more  than  a  short 
distance,  the  Bishop  kept  up  his  Diocesan  work  at  home  to  the  last, 
especially  in  correspondence,  in  which  he  was  always  a  model  of 
punctuality,  writing  some  300  letters  in  the  last  quarter  of  1864. 
Contrary  to  every  one's  expectation,  he  recovered  some  strength  after 
the  fatigue  and  excitement  of  the  Consecration,  and  on  the  19th  and 
26th  of  March  was  able  to  attend  the  service  at  the  College  Chapel,  a 
few  doors  from  his  house.  The  next  Sunday,  April  2,  as  he  was 
about  ready  to  go  to  the  Chapel  again,  he  suddenly  lost  his  speech 
for  a  time,  which  kept  him  from  going  out  ;  but  he  regained  it  again, 
and  at  noon  received  the  Holy  Communion  with  his  family,  from  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Bissell.  The  next  day  he  was  able  to  call  on  his  sister, 
across  the  street,  and  seemed  unusually  well  till  Tuesday  evening, 
when  a  series  of  violent  spasms  of  the  heart  rendered  him  uncon- 
scious till  near  midnight.  Again  he  rallied,  and  recognized  the  mem- 
bers of  his  family  and  the  clergymen  present  (Drs.  Bissell,  Jackson 
and  Rankine,  and  Professor  Russell),  and  his  physicians  (Drs.  East- 
man and  Dox).  Some  tea  was  offered  him,  which  he  declined, 
but  said,  "  give  Mother  some,"  showing  to  the  last  that  tender  care 
for  Mrs.  De  Lancey  which  was  always  so  noticeable  in  his  home-life. 
These  were  his  last  words  save  the  half-articulated  but  earnest 
"  Amen"  to  the  Commendatory  Prayers.  He  died  at  three  minutes 
past  six  on  Wednesday  morning,  April  5,  1865,  four  days  before 
Palm  Sunday. 

The  Burial  Service  was  said  at  Geneva  on  Tuesday  in  Holy  Week. 
The  Bishop's  body  was  taken  to  the  College  Chapel  near  by,  and 
seen  there  in  the  morning  for  the  last  time  by  hundreds  of  sorrowing 


Burial  ok  Bishop  Dk  Lancey  251 

people.  At  noon  it  was  taken  back  to  the  house,  and  thence  borne 
on  men's  shoulders  to  Trinity  Church,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  pre- 
ccdotl  by  the  Faculty  and  Students  of  Ilobart  College,  the-  Wardens 
and  Vestrymen  of  Trinity  Church,  the  officiating  Clergy  and  bearers,* 
and  followed  by  the  Pall-bearers, t  the  Family,  Physicians,  Clergy  in 
order  of  age.  and  citizens.  There  were  no  can  iages,  and  the  proces- 
sion was  one  of  touching  and  impressive  simplicity.  The  only  Bishop 
present  was  the  new  Diocesan,  who  took  only  the  part  of  a  mourner. 

At  the  church  the  Clergy  bore  the  body  into  the  chancel,  where 
the  Burial  Service  was  said  by  Drs.  Bissell,  Metcalf,  Ingersoll,  Jack- 
son and  Bolles.  The  first  part  of  the  Anthem,  "Lord,  let  me  know 
mine  end,"  the  Sentence  "I  heard  a  voice  from  Heaven,"  and  two 
metrical  Psalmst  were  sung.  An  address  was  delivered  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Van  Ingen,  who  had  lately  returned  to  the  Diocese  from  his 
missionary  work  in  Minnesota  and  his  three  years'  chaplaincy  in  the 
Army.  He  was  from  first  to  last  one  of  the  Bishop's  most  devoted 
and  congenial  friends,  and  certainly  no  one  could  have  been  better 
qualified  to  speak  of  him  at  such  a  time, — if  anyone  was.  He  pict- 
ured the  Bishop's  character  and  life  with  true  and  eloquent  words, 
but  it  was  an  occasion,  it  seemed  to  me,  where  no  words  could  be 
adequate.  § 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  the  Bishop's  remains  were  taken 
to  New  York,  watched  one  night  in  Calvary  Church  by  students  of  the 
General  Theological  Seminary,  from  the  Diocese,  and  on  Friday  were 
interred  in  the  Burial  ground  of  the  De  Lancey  family  at ''  Heathcote 

*  Drs.  Rankine,  Foote,  Schuyler,  Gibsoa  and  Coxe,  and  Messrs.  .^yrault. 
Matsonand  Piatt. 

t   Drs.  Ingersoll,  Jackson,  Bolles,  Van  Rensselaer,  Beach  and  Hull, 
t   Selection  from  Ps.  XVL      "Therefore  my  heart  all  grief  defies, 

My  glory  shall  rejoice  ; 
My  flesh  shall  rest,  in  hope  to  rise, 
Waked  by  His  powerful  voice." 

And  from  Ps.  XI.  "In  full  as^emb'ies  I  have  told 

Thy  truth  and  righteousness  at  large  ; 
Nor  did,  Thou  know'st,  my  lips  withhold 

From  utter.ng  what  Thou  gav'st  in  charge." 
§  The  Address  is  given  in  full  in  the  Memoir  of  Dr.  Van  Ingsn,  "  largely  from 
his  own  writing?,"  (Rocheser,  1878,)  p.  105.     With  it  may  be  compared  the  no 
less  eloquent  and  truihful  Sermon  of  Bishop  Co.xe  at  the  next  Annual  Conven- 
tion. (Joum.  1865,  p.  205.) 


252  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Hill,"  Mamaroneck,  Westchester  county.  There  they  remain  to  this 
day,  though  efforts  have  more  than  once  been  made  by  the  Diocese 
to  obtain  the  consent  of  the  family  to  have  them  removed  to  the  con- 
secrated ground  of  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  where  his  successor  now 
rests.* 

In  the  Journal  of  1865,  App.  VII.,  p.  182,  Cfrom  which  the  above 
account  is  taken  in  part,)  will  be  found  the  Pastoral  Letter  of  Bishop 
Coxe,  the  Resolutions  of  the  Clergy  attending  the  funeral,  and  of  the 
Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York,  and  a  mention  of 
other  tributes  of  respect,  together  with  a  brief  sketch  of  the  Bishop's 
life.     It  seems  hardly  necessary  to  repeat  them  here. 

And  still  less  need  does  there  seem  to  be  of  attempting,  what  to 
me  would  seem  a  hopeless  task,  to  give  a  resume  of  Bishop  De  Lan- 
cey's  character,  which  in  fact  has  been  set  forth,  as  far  as  I  could  do 
it,  through  some  two  hundred  pages  back  ;  if  they  do  not  tell  what 
he  was  as  a  Man  and  a  Bishop,  it  cannot  be  told  here.  I  can  think 
of  one  feature  only  in  which  I  have  not  depicted  him  ;  that  is  his 
gentleness — his  courtesy,  not  of  manner  only  but  of  the  heart — shown 
alike  to  every  one,  the  stranger,  the  poor,  the  sick,  the  merest  child 
who  had  no  claim  on  him  except  that  he  was  a  child.  May  I  tell 
another  story  of  myself  ?  I  came  to  know  the  Bishop  for  the  first  time 
one  Sunday  in  the  earliest  years  of  his  Episcopate  (1843),  when,  an 
enthusiastic  Chwrch.- boy ,  I  had  gone  on  foot  to  a  little  village  near 
Canandaigua  to  "  hear  him  preach."  Thence  at  noon  I  set  out  to 
walk  to  the  next  village  (East  Bloomfield),  where  he  was  to  confirm 
in  the  afternoon  ;  but  on  the  way  I  was  overtaken,  to  my  intense 
delight,  by  the  carriage  of  the  Missionary  (Tapping  Reeve  Chipman) 
containing  the  Bishop.  As  Mr.  Chipman  was  a  family  friend,  I  was 
lifted  into  the  carriage  (by  the  Bishop's  own  hands  !  and  with  a  smile 
and  words  of  welcome  I  never  forgot),  and  for  the  next  hour  had  the 
happiness  of  listening  to  his  delightful  talk  with  the  clergyman  and 
his  wife.  I  remember  much  of  it  to  this  day.  Finally  I  sat  by  his 
side  at  the  tea-table  (in  the  house,  as  it  happened,  of  a  relative),  and 


*  The  Rev.  Drs.  Rankine  and  Van  Rensselaer  attended  the  burial  at  Mama- 
roneck. The  grave  is  in  "  the  western  part  of  the  Heathcote  Hill  farm,  the  second 
tier  in  the  S.  W.  part.  The  Bishop  rests  at  his  father's  feet  and  by  the  side  of 
his  son."  Mrs.  DeLancey  is  buried  by  his  side.  She  survived  the  Bishop  only 
four  years,  dying  March  30,  1869. 


S.    MARKS  CHrKCH.   NKWAKK 


The  MoDEi,  Diocese  253 

again  marked,  as  even  a  child  could  not  fail  to,  his  perfect  courtesy 
and  kindness  to  every  one  near  him.  1  had  many  acts  of  special 
personal  kindness  from  him  to  remember  in  later  years,  but  none 
that  ever  took  the  place  of  that  first  glimpse  of  him  through  a  child's 
eyes. 

This  gracious  courtesy  of  manner,  which  every  one  felt  was  a  part 
of  his  personality,  inseparable  from  the  man  himself,  had  no  doubt 
much  influence  in  evoking  that  spirit  of  personal  loyalty  towards 
the  Bishop  which  was  such  a  remarkable  characteristic  of  both  clergy 
and  laity  in  the  old  Western  New  York.  But,  beyond  all  that,  and 
much  more  potent,  was  the  feeling  that  he  was  a  born  leader  0/  men, 
in  whose  judgment  as  well  as  sincerity  there  was,  ordinarily,  absolute 
confidence.  It  used  to  be  said  of  him  that  "  he  was  sure  to  do  the 
right  thing  at  the  right  time  and  in  the  right  place."  There  were  of 
course  those  (not  many  in  the  Diocese)  who  differed  widely  from  him 
in  theology  or  ecclesiastical  polity, — those  who  thought  him  "slow," 
and  those  who  thought  him  severe.  But  every  one  recognized  the 
fact  that  his  judgment  on  any  point  was  pretty  sure  to  be  accepted 
heartily  as  the  judgment  of  the  Diocese,  and  also,  generally  speak- 
ing, as  the  judgment  of  common  sense, — however  it  might  contravene 
their  own  opinions  or  wishes.  Thus  the  Western  New  York  of  his 
day  came  to  be  called  "The  Model  Diocese,"  not  even  so  much  for 
the  admirable  system  and  order  which  his  administration  induced  in 
all  its  affairs,  parochial  as  well  as  diocesan,  as  for  the  absolute  unity 
with  the  Bishop  which,  with  very  few  exceptions,  was  plainly  visible 
in  all  its  work,  and  which,  it  must  be  said,  gradually  faded  out  of 
sight  when  his  overseership  came  to  an  end.  Under  his  more  brilliant 
and  equally  devoted,  unselfish  and  gracious  successor,  deeply  loved 
as  he  was  by  so  many  in  his  day,  the  Diocese  advanced  by  paths  and 
to  heights  where  Bishop  De  Lancey,  the  man  of  2,  past  time,  could 
never  have  led  it ;  but  it  lost  that  perfect  confidence  and  unity 
of  purpose  between  Bishop  and  Priest  and  layman  which  had  made  it 
"  The  Model  Diocese." 

I  have  said  elsewhere  that  in  theological  views  Bishop  De  Lancey 
inherited,  and  curiously  united,  the  traditions  of  two  different  schools, 
those  represented  in  his  younger  days  by  Bishop  White  and  Bishop 
Hobart.  These  .schools  were  not  in  fact  so  different  as  they  have 
been  usually  thought  to  be,  and  not  at  all  opposed  as  they  have  some- 


2  54  Diocese   of  Western  New  York    • 

times  been  represented  for  party  purposes.  It  would  not  be  difficult, 
indeed,  to  draw  out  a  parallel  which  would  make  them  appear  nearly 
identical.  As  to  Bishop  De  Lancey,  the  many  extracts  I  have  given 
from  his  writings  show  plainly,  (what  no  one  who  knew  him  person- 
ally could  doubt  for  a  moment,)  that  on  the  Divine  Constitution  of 
the  Church,  and  its  Ministry,  Sacraments  and  Worship,  he  was 
thoroughly  the  disciple  of  Bishop  Hobart  in  all  that  positive  and 
uncompromising  teaching  which  revolutionized  the  ecclesiastical  tone 
of  the  Church  in  the  State  of  New  York.  But  he  had  not  only  a  ten- 
der regard  for  the  memory  and  the  teaching  of  Bishop  White  (whom 
he  always  quoted  rather  than  any  other  authority),  but  in  some  things, 
certainly, a  preference  for  his  statements  and  mode  of  thinking  in  theo- 
logy. For  instance,  on  the  sacrificial  character  of  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
where  the  views  of  White  and  Hobart,  though  quite  capable 
of  being  reconciled,  are  widely  different  in  tone,  Bishop  De  Lancey,  it 
seems  to  me,  held  rather  with  the  former.  There  is  no  question  that 
White  and  De  Lancey  accepted  the  teaching  of  Hooker  on  the  Incar- 
nation and  the  Sacraments  as  fully  as  did  Seabury  and  Hobart.  But 
the  two  latter,  had  they  lived  in  our  day,  would  undoubtedly  have  gone 
on  far  in  the  path  of  the  Oxford  revival  of  Church  principles,  which 
received  its  first  impulse  in  England  from  the  intimate  intercourse  of 
Bishop  Hobart  with  Hugh  James  Rose  in  1824-5.  In  other  words, 
they  would  have  stood  with  the  earlier  Non- Jurors.  I  do  not  think 
that  Bishop  De  Lancey  would,  although  in  many  things  he  was  far  in 
advance  of  Bishop  White.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  while  his 
Diocese  advanced  greatly  under  his  leadership  in  worship  as  well  as 
in  teaching,  there  is  not  an  instance  on  record  during  the  twenty-seven 
years  of  his  Episcopate  of  actual  contest  over  those  questions  of  ritual 
which  in  so  many  places, — and  in  his  day  far  more  than  now, — proved 
firebrands  for  foxes  and  sheep  alike.  The  unity  of  his  Diocese  in 
this  as  well  as  other  respects  was,  it  seems  to  me,  a  far  greater  triumph 
of  his  wise  and  loving  guidance  than  was  its  actual  advance  in  Church 
principles. 


CHAPTER  XXXV  III 

BISHOP    COXK  AT  WORK 

[ISHOP  Coxe  began  his  work  as  Diocesan  on  Saturday, 
April  29,  1S65,  by  the  Consecration  of  Christ  Church, 
y  Oswego,  followed  the  next  week  (May  4)  by  that  of  S. 
Paul's,  Waterloo.  In  both  cases  the  consecration  was 
accompanied  by  the  Institution  of  the  Rector  ;  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Amos  B.  Beach  for  Oswego,  and  the  Rev.  Robert 
N.  Parke  for  Waterloo.  I  have  already  noted  the  Institu- 
tion of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Edwin  M.  Van  Deuscn,  as  Rector  of  Grace 
Church,  Utica.  Two  years  later,  June  8,  1867,  the  office  was  used 
once  more,  for  the  Rev.  William  Paret,  in  Trinity  Church,  Elmira  ; 
and  this,  thirty-six  years  ago,  was  the  last  instance  of  its  use  which  I 
have  found  in  the  Episcopate  of  Bishop  Coxe. 

From  this  beginning  the  Bishop's  visitations  were  almost  continu- 
ous, and  at  the  Annual  Convention  in  August  he  was  able  to  report 
that  he  had  visited  80  parishes  and  missions  in  twenty  of  the  29 
counties  of  the  Diocese,  confirmed  1183  persons,  and  consecrated  six 
churches.  (The  Confirmations  for  the  year,  including  those  by  the 
Bishops  of  New  Jersey  and  Michigan,  numbered  1,582.)  "Much 
that  had  been  done  in  catechising,  college  and  school  visiting,  mission- 
ary preaching,  and  the  like,"  he  does  not  report.  "  Vet  I  own,"  he 
adds  in  this  first  Address,  "  that  I  am  not  satisfied  with  such  perfunc- 
tory Episcopizing.  It  is  vain  to  attempt  the  realization  of  a  primi- 
tive and  scriptural  work  as  the  angeliis  of  a  Church  so  vast  in  extent 
as  our  Diocese  ;  but  I  shall  labour  on,  by  God's  help,  as  well  as  I 
can,  until  you,  my  brethren,  may  think  it  your  duty  to  secure  to  your- 
selves more  abundant  fruits  of  the  Episcopate  by  providing  for  the 
erection  of  at  least  one  more  See  among  the  three  half-million  souls 
and  the  more  than  twenty  thousand  square  miles  of  Western  New 
York."  He  had  already,  in  his  sermon  at  the  same  Convention  in 
memory  of  Bishop  De  Lancey,  declared  that  "  the  time  is  not  far  dis- 
tant when  we  must  become  two  bands."  In  these  utterances  to  his 
First  Council  he  struck  the  keynote  of  those  earnest  and  persistent 
councils  to  his  Diocese  which  resulted  three  years  later  in  the  actual 
founding  of  a  new  See. 


256  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Bishop  Coxe  was  received  everywhere  in  his  Diocese,  not  only  with 
the  hearty  and  loyal  welcome  which  Bishop  De  Lancey's  Episcopate 
had  prepared  for  his  successor,  but  with  the  most  enthusiastic  admi- 
ration of  his  personal  character,  his  very  presence  and  manner,  and 
most  of  all  his  wonderful  power  as  a  preacher.  This  enthusiasm  cul- 
minated, so  to  speak,  in  his  reception  in  Buffalo,  which  he  had  some 
time  before  fixed  upon  for  his  residence,  with  the  approval  of  Bishop 
De  Lancey.  The  Churchmen  of  that  place  had  already  promised 
$1,000  for  house-rent  in  addition  to  the  salary  and  expenses  of 
removal  provided  by  the  Diocese,  and  begun  a  subscription  of  $20,000 
for  the  purchase  of  a  house.  A  special  service  of  welcome  was  held 
on  the  evening  of  Sunday,  May  14,  in  S.  Paul's  Church,  attended  by 
nearly  all  the  clergy  of  the  city  and  vicinity,  and  an  immense  congre- 
gation, who  lifted  up  their  voices  in  grand  chorus  in  the  familiar 
hymns,  and  listened  with  breathless  interest  for  nearly  an  hour  to  the 
Bishop's  fervent  words,  of  thanks  for  the  privilege  of  coming  to  live 
among  them,  on  the  great  principle  of  "  a  Bishop  in  every  city,  as  the 
normal  condition  of  Church  life,"  and  on  the  manifold  opportunities 
for  the  Church's  work  in  such  a  centre  as  Buffalo  was  now  becoming.* 

The  subscription  for  the  Bishop's  house  was  completed  in  the  course 
of  the  summer,  and  about  the  first  of  October  he  began  his  residence 
in  what  he  named  from  that  time  "the  See  House,"  No.  314  Del- 
aware Avenue.  There  was  a  considerable  difference  of  opinion 
among  Buffalo  Churchmen,  according  to  my  recollection,  both  as  to 

*  This  is  from  my  own  diary,  as  I  was  present  at  the  service,  and  the  reports  of 
it  even  in  the  Gospel  Messenger  are  very  imperfect.  The  "address  of  welcome  " 
by  Dr.  Thomas  C.  Pitkin,  of  S.  Paul's,  to  which  the  Bishop  replied  as  above,  is 
given  in  full  in  the  Messefiger  of  June  8,  1865,  and  is  worth  reading.  ' '  There  is  noth- 
ing here,"  he  says,  "  to  prevent  a  hearty,  cordial,  earnest  co-operation  of  all  the 
clergymen  and  laymen  of  our  Church  in  any  common  work  of  Christian  enter- 
prise. This  show  of  unity  is  real.  .  .  There  are  no  diversities  of  doctrine,  of 
discipline  or  worship  to  hinder  the  most  perfect  and  harmonious  action.  We  are 
singularly  free  from  causes  of  disturbance  arising  from  opposing  theories  of  Chris- 
tian truth  or  of  Church  polity.  I  know  of  no  city,  and  I  believe  there  is  no  city 
in  the  land  of  corresponding  size,  that  is  like  the  city  of  Buffalo  in  this  respect. 

.  .  But  it  is  also  true  that  the  Churchmen  of  this  city  never  have  united  in 
their  work.  The  churches  have  been  isolated  ;  we  have  never  known  by  experience 
the  strength  there  is  in  union.  I  trust  it  will  be  the  happy  privilege  of  our  Bishop 
to  give  us  this  experience."  He  closes  with  an  eloquent  tribute  to  Bishop 
De  Lancey.  (Dr.  Shelton,  who  would  naturally  have  been  the  one  to  welcome 
the  Bishop,  was  at  this  time  in  Palestine.) 


ARllirR  CLKVELAND  COXK. 
.850 


Thk  See  House  257 

the  location  of  the  house,  and  its  fitness  for  a  Bishop's  residence. 
The  first  objection,  that  it  was  "too  far  out  of  the  way,"  has  long 
since  been  removed  by  the  growth  of  the  city  beyond  it ;  the  second, 
that  it  was  wanting  in  space  and  dij^nity — being  only  half  a  double 
house — remains  in  increasing  force,  the  Hishop  himself  declaring  to 
his  Council  in  1892  that  "  it  was  not  such  as  should  be  provided  by 
the  Diocese  for  its  Hishop,''  and,  while  for  himself  he  was  content  to 
close  his  days  under  its  roof,  "the  Diocese  owed  something  to  itself, 
and  its  Bishop  should  have  an  official  homestead  adapted  to  his  office. 
There  should  be  a  few  pleasant  rooms  for  hospitalities  to  visiting 
Clergy.  There  should  be  a  wing  or  side  office  for  the  Library,  and 
this  should  be  so  arranged  that  visiting  Clergy  and  .students  might  use 
it  freely.  There  should  be  a  chapel  where  the  Bishop  with  the 
Clergy  could  freely  meet  for  devotion."  In  other  respects,  he  thinks, 
the  house  is  sufficient  for  ■•  a  plain  and  primitive  liishop.  in  a  republi- 
can state  of  society."* 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Clergy  ot  the  Diocese  at  Bishop  De  Lancey's 
funeral,  a  Committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee "  in  reference  to  erecting  some  enduring  memorial  of  Bishop 
De  Lancey."  This  joint  Committee  unanimously  agreed  that  in 
consideration  of  the  iiishop's  labours  in  the  establishment  and  main- 
tenance of  S.  Peter's  Chapel,  Geneva,  the  Diocese  should  erect  a 
Memorial  Church  on  its  site,  to  cost  not  less  than  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  and  to  be  the  property  of  the  Diocese.  Bishop  Coxe  at  once 
issued  a  Pastoral  Letter  earnestly  commending  this  plan,  and  it  was 
unanimously  approved  by  the  Convention  of  1865.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Rankine,  who  had  been  appointed  to  obtain  subscriptions  for  the 
work,  entered  on  this  duty  with  great  energy,  and,  as  will  be  chron- 
icled later,  with  great  success  ;  but  it  was  five  years  before  the 
Memorial  Church  was  completed  and  consecrated. 

At  his  first  Convention,  in  August,  1865,  in  S.  Luke's  Church, 
Rochester,  the  Bishop  was  greeted  by  100  Clergymen  and  187  Lay 
Delegates  representing  92  Parishes.  No  one  who  heard  it  could  ever 
forget  his  opening  sermon,  "  A  Father  in  Chri.st,"  in  memory  of 
Bishop  De  Lancey. t     I  wish  it  were  possible  even  to  quote  from  it 


*  Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1.S92,  p.  37. 
t  Published  in  the  Journal,  p.  205. 


258  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

here  at  length.     I  must  give  its  last  words,  for  they  were  the  Bishop's 
yfrj-/ words  of  exhortation  to  his  Diocese. 

"  Men  are  nothing  ;  Christ  is  all  in  all.  Yet  this  is  the  very  con- 
sideration which  should  animate  us  to  gird  up  our  loins  like  men,  and 
prove  that  'Christ  liveth  in  us';  yes,  and  worketh  by  us.  Oh  !  death- 
less Church  of  God,  who  would  not  live  in  thy  service,  who  would 
not  labour  for  thine  extension,  who  would  not  share  in  thine  immor- 
tality !  It  is  sweet,  and  it  is  becoming  to  die  for  one's  country,  if 
need  be  ;  but  oh  !  to  live  and  die  for  the  souls  of  men,  how  much 
better  and  sweeter  ;  how  blessed  a  thing  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  to  a 
perishing  world  ;  how  glorious  to  glorify  the  Cross,  and  then  to  fall 
asleep  in  Jesus,  and  so  'to  rest  from  our  labours  !' 

"  This  is  the  spirit  to  which  we  are  prompted  by  our  Father's 
example  ;  so  would  we  be  remembered  ;  so  commemorated.  And  so, 
while  we  gather  round  this  altar  in  remembrance  of  the  great  Apostle 
and  High  Priest  of  our  profession,  let  us  devote  ourselves  anew  to 
His  service,  resolved   that  His  glory  in  this    Diocese  shall  not  be 

diminished  for  lack  of  our  zeal  and  efforts When  the 

solemn  service  of  the  Church  shall  be  read  over  our  graves,  let  those 
who  surround  our  coffins  feel  that  there  is  meaning  in  the  words, 
'They  rest  from  their  labours.''  Surely  all  those  who  assisted  at  the 
impressive  obsequies  of  our  departed  Bishop,  felt  as  I  did,  when 
those  words  were  chanted  over  his  bier,  felt  how  much  they  may  be 
made  to  mean  !  I  had  taken  leave  of  his  face  forever  ;  I  had  looked 
tenderly  on  those  hands  which  gave  me  my  commission,  as  I  saw 
them  folded  in  their  unwonted,  I  may  say  their  first  repose  ;  I  had 
trembled  as  I  saw  the  earth  thrown  upon  his  cold  corpse — 'earth  to 
earth,  ashes  to  ashes,  dust  to  dust';  and  God  grant  I  may  never 
forget  with  what  emotions  I  was  thrilled  and  comforted  when  the 
Anthem  broke  forth,  like  a  voice  from  heaven  ;  'Blessed  are  the  dead 
who  die  in  the  Lord  ;  even  so,  saith  the  Spirit ;  for  they  rest  from 
their  labours.'  " 

In  his  Address  the  Bishop  referred  to  the  "  most  serious  problem" 
which  the  end  of  the  Civil  War  had  brought  upon  us,  in  "the  millions 
of  negroes  now  freedmen,  but  thrown  in  ignorance  and  spiritual  desti- 
tution on  our  hands," — "  a  question  which  the  Church  must  not  leave 
to  worldly  men,  nor  to  speculative  philanthropy."  He  urged  in  the 
strongest  terms  an  earnest  effort  for  the  liberal  endowment  of  Hobart 
College,  already  begun  by  the  munificent  offer  of  Mr.  John  H.  Swift 
to  give  one-twentieth  of  whatever  sum  might  be  raised  for  that  pur- 
pose. He  reminded  the  Diocese  that  two  propositions,  made  long 
since  by  Bishop  DeLancey  in  the  interest  of  the  whole  Church,  now 


Bishop  Coxe's  Address,   1865  259 

called  for  immediate  consideration  :  the  practical  reorganization  of 
the  General  Theological  Seminary,  "in  its  present  condition  unworthy 
of  the  Church,"  and  the  "erectin^j;  divers  provinces  where  now  we 
exist  as  one  province  only  of  the  Church  Catholic, "a  necessity  which, 
as  he  says,  Bishop  White  had  long  ago  foretold,  although  he  never 
dreamed,  when  he  made  his  prediction,  of  the  extent  of  territory  now 
included  in  that  one  Province.  The  restoration  of  legislative  unity 
with  the  Church  in  the  South,  {essential  unity  never  having  been  for 
a  minute  suspended),  called  only  for  immediate  and  cordial  "  revival 
of  old  affections  and  friendships,  old  fraternal  counsels  and  commun- 
ings." "  Let  us  do  what  we  can  to  teach  our  countrymen  sound 
ideas  of  Christian  unity  ;  and  by  imparting  to  others  the  Apostolic 
blessings  which  once  bound  Christians  together,  let  us  do  the  greatest 
work  that  can  be  done  for  the  salvation  of  the  land." 

The  Convention  responded  to  the  Bishop's  Address  by  resolutions 
(i)  on  the  Episcopate  of  Bishop  De  Lancey,  "  adopted  unanimously, 
in  silence,  the  members  of  the  Convention  standing;"  (2)  on  the 
Provincial  System,  "  that  its  growing  necessity,  as  devised  and  fore- 
shadowed by  the  wise  foresight  of  the  patriarchal  Bishop  White  and 
our  own  beloved  Diocesan,  Bishop  De  Lancey,  heartily  commend 
themselves  to  our  sympathy  and  approval  "  (adopted,  says  the  Mes- 
senger, with  one  dissenting  voice);  (3)  instructing  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee to  appeal  to  the  Diocese  and  take  other  measures  for  the  in- 
crease of  the  Episcopate  fund  to  $75,000,  and  meantime  making  the 
Bishop's  salary  $5,000  instead  of  $3,500  ;  (4)  approving  of  the  erec- 
tion of  the  Memorial  Church  on  the  site  of  S.  Peter's  Chapel,  Geneva  ; 
(5)  enlarging  the  benefits  of  the  "  Christmas  Fund  "  to  include  the 
widows  and  children  of  deceased  clergymen  of  the  Diocese  (on  a 
very  able  report  by  Dr.  Gibson);  (6)  making  clergymen  engaged  in 
the  Diocesan  Training  School  ex-officio  members  of  the  Convention  ; 
(7)  "  that  the  interests  of  the  Church  call  for  the  establishment  in  the 
Diocese  of  one  or  more  Seminaries  of  a  high  order  for  female  educa- 
tion," and  asking  the  Bishop  "  to  call  the  attention  of  parents,  and 
the  Diocese  generally,  to  the  subject,"  so  as  "  to  secure  speedy 
practical  results ;"  (8)  "  responding  most  heartily  to  the  very  eloquent 
and  devout  expression  by  our  Diocesan  of  thankfulness  to  Almighty 
God  for  the  return  of  national  peace  and  unity." 

Two  of  these  resolutions — that  on  the  Episcopate  Fund  and  that  on 


26o  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Church  Schools — called  for  some  effective  action  in  the  Diocese,  but 
none  was  taken.  A  meeting  was  held  in  behalf  of  a  Diocesan  Fe- 
male School,  on  the  evening  before  the  Convention,  and  earnest  ad- 
dresses on  the  need  of  such  an  institution  were  made  by  the  Bishop, 
Dr.  Schuyler,  and  Dr.  Matson  ;  but  nothing  came  of  it,  so  far  as  I 
can  find.  The  matter  of  the  increase  of  the  Episcopate  Fund  was 
presented  in  successive  conventions  with  more  or  less  urgency,  by  the 
Trustees,  by  the  Standing  Committee,  and  by  Special  Committees,  year 
after  year,  but,  for  reasons  which  will  appear  later,  nothing  was  accom- 
plished in  this  direction  for  many  years,  and  indeed  very  little  has 
been  done  up  to  the  present  time  ;  nearly  two  thirds  of  the  Bishop's 
salary  being  still  provided  by  ' '  assessments  ' '  on  the  parishes  and 
missions. 

Bishop  Coxe's  part  in  the  General  Convention  of  1865  was  notable 
in  two  particulars.  The  end  of  the  Civil  War  of  course  restored  the 
Southern  Bishops  and  Clergy  to  their  former  standing  in  the  Ameri- 
can Church,  and  those  of  them  who  came  to  the  Convention  without 
waiting  for  its  formal  action  were  received  most  cordially  and  honour- 
ably. A  service  of  thanksgiving  for  the  restoration  of  peace  and 
unity  was  held  by  appointment  of  the  House  of  Bishops,  and  all  took 
part  in  it  heartily  ;  but  there  were  some  who  insisted  that  this  service 
ought  to  include  a  distinct  recognition  of  slavery  as  the  cause  of  the 
war,  and  as  both  Houses  refused  to  take  any  such  action ,  a  few  of  the 
members  of  each,  with  a  large  crowd  of  sympathizers,  held  a  service 
of  their  own  on  the  following  evening,  which  they  called  a  "  supple- 
mental thanksgiving. ' '  Undoubtedly  most  of  the  Churchmen  of  that 
day  would  have  joined  heartily,  in  proper  time  and  place,  in  Bishop 
Coxe's  own  words  to  his  Council  in  acknowledgment  of  "  the  way  in 
which  God  had  wrought  our  national  deliverance,  and  put  away  from 
us,  amid  great  signs  and  sore  judgments,  the  curse  of  slavery."  But 
he  felt,  as  did  they,  that  the  time  for  such  thanksgiving  was  twt  when 
they  were  receiving  back  their  brethren  of  the  South  who  came  with 
doubt  and  hesitation  as  to  how  they  were  to  be  met  ;  and,  to  his  and 
their  honour,  all  such  political  topics,  however  deeply  felt,  were  put 
aside  in  this  reunion  of  the  Church.  I  have  it  from  his  own  lips  that 
personally  he  would  have  joined  willingly  in  the  "supplemental 
thanksgiving." 

A  debate  of  great  interest  in  the  Board  of  Missions  arose  out  of  an 


Re-union  of  the  Church  261 

attack,  the  last  :\nd  sharpest  of  many  such,  on  the  Mission  established 
at  Athens,  Greece,  as  far  back  as  1829,  under  the  venerable  Dr.  Hill. 
These  attacks  came  always  from  one  party  in  the  Church,  and  always 
on  the  same  score:  that  the  Mission  was  "nothing  but  a  girls' 
school,"  and  that  it  did  not  protest  sufficiently  against  "  the  corruptions 
of  the  Greek  Church."'  It  was  sustained,  however,  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end,  by  the  general  feeling  of  the  Church  that  its  teach- 
ing work  at  Athens  was  not  only  admirable  of  its  kind,  but  most  im- 
portant in  its  influence  on  the  whole  tone  of  female  education  among 
the  better  class  of  the  Greeks,  which  had  its  centre  at  Athens  ;  and 
this  influence  had  been  heartily  acknowledged  for  many  years  in  suc- 
cession by  the  highest  authorities  of  Church  and  Slate  in  Greece.  It 
fell  to  Bishop  Coxa  at  this  time  to  take  up  the  defence  of  the  Mission 
in  a  speech  which  was  universally  regarded  as  the  most  eloquent  and 
unanswerable  argument  of  the  whole  session  of  the  (General  Conven- 
tion, and  which  practically  put  an  end  to  outspoken  cavilling  on  this 
subject  for  all  later  years.  The  good  work  of  the  Mission  was  con- 
tinued for  thirty-three  years  longer,  until  1884  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hill, 
and  from  that  time  by  their  assistant  of  many  years.  Miss  Marion 
Muir,  till  her  decease  in  iSgS.  Its  history  links  in  singularly  the 
beginning  of  Greek  independence,  which  aroused  the  interest  of  the 
whole  Christian  world  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  last  century,  with  the 
dawn  of  the  present. 

The  Bishop  was  also  the  preacher  of  the  Triennial  Sermon  before 
the  Board  of  Missions.  I  have  not  found  it  in  print,  and  can  only 
quote  the  Church  Journal,  describing  it  as  •'  brilliant,  powerful, 
searching,  with  passages  that  rose  into  real  eloquence,  and  enchained 
all  hearers,  breathing  into  them  the  elevated  tone  and  feeling  of  the 
Preacher  himself. ' ' 

One  act  of  the  General  Convention  had  been  the  erection  of  the 
Diocese  of  Pittsburgh  from  Pennsylvania,  and  at  the  consecration  of 
its  first  Bi.shop,  Dr.  Kerfoot,  on  S.  Paul's  Day,  1866,  Bishop  Coxe 
preached  one  of  his  most  noteworthy  sermons.  His  text  was  the  ' '  Seven 
Stars"  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  his  subject,  the  development  of  the 
Apostolic  Episcopate  from  S.  John's  time  on  the  principle  of  the 
primitive  Diocese  or  "  See"  centring  in  each  city.  I  do  not  attempt 
to  give  even  an  outline  of  the  Sermon  here,  (it  is  published  in  the 
Messenger o{  Feb.  15,  1866.  as  well  as  in  pamphlet  form.)    but  note 


262  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

it  only  as  one  expression  of  the  thought  which  was  constantly  in  the 
Bishop's  mind  at  that  day, — "  the  Apostolic  Ministry  in  the  Apostolic 
position."     He  says  that 

"  Many  of  our  Christian  brethren  whose  learning  and  worth  have 
made  them  too  candid  to  object  to  the  Episcopate  as  unprimitive  and 
unscriptural,  have  with  no  small  force  objected  to  the  vast  regionary 
Dioceses  of  our  own  Church  as  entirely  without  Catholic  precedent  or 
Scriptural  authority.  In  fact,  learned  Presbyterians  have  generally 
been  'Episcopalians'  in  theory,  holdingto  a  parochial  instead  of  a  Dio- 
cesan Episcopacy  ;  and  their  argument  has  been  drawn  from  the  small 
dioceses  of  the  Primitive  Church,  and  its  apparent  confusion  of  words 
pertaining  to  offices  and  those  who  bore  them.  John  Knox  himself 
was  by  no  means  so  uncompromising  an  opponent  of  the  Episcopate 
as  has  been  supposed  ;  but  he  insisted,  with  no  little  reason,  that  the 
dioceses  of  England  should  be  made  ten  for  one.  Now  every  Chris- 
tian must  rejoice  when  any  step  is  taken  which  will  tend  to  remove 
the  obstacles  to  Christian  unity  ;  and  what  Churchman  can  fail  to 
rejoice  in  a  Scriptural  amendment  of  his  own  polity  which  meets  the 
valid  objection  of  any  candid  and  loving  believer  in  Christ?  " 

From  this  the  Bishop  goes  on  to  point  out  how  the  Missionary  Epis- 
copate of  S.  Paul's  day,  with  the  Apostleship,  so  to  speak,  at  large, 
and  coadjutors  like  Timothy  and  Titus  under  S.  Paul  and  S.  James 
and  S.  John,  gave  place  in  the  last  days  of  the  latter  Apostle  to  a 
truly  diocesan,  or,  as  it  was  first  called,  parochial  Episcopate  in  which 
"each  district  had  its  Bishop,  and  every  Bishop  was  in  a  See."  So 
in  the  early  evangelization  of  Europe,  the  Apostle  consecrated  as  a 
"Regionary  Bishop"  soon  "broke  up  his  district  into  Sees,  and 
such  in  every  land  has  been  the  instinct  of  the  Church,  after  the  pri- 
mary stage  has  been  passed."  Such  "  final  settlement  of  the  Apos- 
tolic Commission  appears  to  me  fully  sanctioned  by  Christ,  in  person, 
in  the  vision  at  Patmos."  From  these  facts  "  it  is  a  clear  evidence 
that  vast  regionary  jurisdictions  are  only  tolerable  in  the  first  evange- 
lizing of  countries,  and  as  a  temporary  and  transitional  expedient." 
So  he  exhorts  the  Churchmen  of  Pittsburgh  to  see    that   their  Bishop 

"  Is  provided  with  his  modest  but  solemn  Cathedral,  his  mission 
church,  where  daily  prayer  is  wont  to  be  made,  where  rich  and  poor 
may  meet  together,  where  the  clergy  may  gather  round  their  Bishop 
in  frequent  counsel  and  in  frequent  Litany  and  Eucharist,  and  where 
the  perpetual  worship  of  God  in  Christ  shall  testify  to  a  worldly  and 


Consecration  at  Pittsburgh  263 

money-making  population  that  the  service  of  God    is   business  and 
not  pastime." 

The  new  Diocese  had  two  months  before,  by  a  decisive  vote,  named 
itself  "  the  Diocese  of  Pittsburgh,"  the  first  instance  in  the  American 
Church  of  a  name  taken  from  a  city,  but  which  has  since  been 
followed  by  one-third  of  all  our  present  Dioceses  and  Missions.  It 
seems  that  this  action,  so  important  as  an  example,  was  due  in  part 
to  Bishop  Coxe,  who  had  said  to  Dr.  Swope,  the  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  the  Constitution  of  the  Diocese,  and  the  leading  clergy- 
man in  its  Primary  Convention,  "  For  pity's  sake  don't  let  your- 
selves be  saddled  with  such  a  name  as  '  Western  New  York.'  We 
have  had  to  struggle  with  it,  and  it  has  almost  broken  our  backs. 
But  we  shall  divide  soon,  and  then  I  shall  be  '  Bishop  of  Buffalo,' 
and  the  name  of  '  Western  New  York'  will  disappear,  to  be  heard  of 
no  more."*  This  was  said  when  the  Bishop  himself  had  struggled 
with  his  title  for  only  six  months  ;  but,  as  we  shall  see,  the  lapse  of 
many  years  did  not  at  all  reconcile  him  to  it. 

I  quote  an  article  in  the  same  number  of  the  Messenger  as  show- 
ing the  feeling  of  many  W.  N.  Y.  Churchmen  of  that  day  about  the 
"  See   Principle." 

"  There  is  no  exaggerating  the  importance  of  the  precedent  estab- 
lished by  the  Diocese  of  Pittsburgh.  I  believe  it  has  settled  the 
question  of  the  See  Episcopate  for  all  time.  And  too  much  praise 
cannot  be  given  to  those  who  stood  by  the  principle  till  it  was  carried 
through  triumphantly,  and  to  our  own  clear-headed  Bishop,  whose 
words  quoted  in  the  Convention  undoubtedly  weighed  greatly  with  its 
members.  ...  It  seems  to  be  admitted  on  all  hands  that  the 
preliminary  steps  must  soon  be  taken  for  erecting  a  new  See  in  West- 
ern New  York.  The  two  into  which  it  will  be  divided  will  necessa- 
rily contain  within  them  other  Sees  in  futuro.  If  the  Diocese  is 
divided  as  equally  as  possible,  that  division  cannot  last  more  than 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years.  Then  the  names  of  '  Central'  and  'Wes- 
tern New  York,' — if  we  retain  them  now, — must  drop  out  of  existence. 
What  will  have  been  gained  by  keeping  those  names  for  a  few  years  ? 
Nothing  whatever.      But  a  great  deal  will  be  lost.       Two  of  the  four 


*  Bishop  Coxe  was  thus  cited  in  the  Convention  by  Dr.  Swope  himself.  The 
Gospel  Messenger  however  declares  that  he  could  not  have  intimated  to  any  one 
that  in  the  event  of  a  division  of  Western  New  York,  he  would  choose  Buffalo  for 
his  See.      {Church  yournal,  xiii,  355,  Gospel  Messenger,  Dec.  14,    1865.) 


264  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Sees  will  have  come  into  existence  twenty-five  years  later  than  they 
might.  .  .  It  is  no  light  matter  to  destroy  or  mutilate  the  historical 
character  of  a  Diocese,  and  it  is  for  this  very  reasoti  that  we  need  the 
Episcopate  under  this  title.  The  name  '  Western  New  York,'  in 
which,  wrong  as  it  is,  we  all  take  so  much  pride,  which  has  already 
associations  of  no  little  value,  must  perish,  sooner  or  later.  This 
Diocese  will  be  known  only  in  history.  Had  it  started  right,  with  its 
proper  See  and  title,  it  would  have  been  as  perpetual  as  the  See  of 
Rome  or  of  Canterbury." 

The  above  might  have  been  written  by   Bishop  Coxe,  so  exactly 
does  it  express  his  views, — but  it  was  not. 


CHAl' ri-R  XXXIX 

THE  ONEIDA  CONVOCATION 

2^jON VOCATIONS  of  the  Clerg>',  already  held  in  an  infor- 
mal manner  for  many  years,  were  in  1865-6  first  orga- 
nized, with  the  decided  approval  of  the  Bishop,  in  most 
parts  of  the  Diocese.  They  are,  he  says  in  his  Address 
of  1866,  "  rude  approximations  to  the  system  of  Rural 
Deaneries.'"  into  which  he  hopes  they  will  grow  "  not  too  slowly." 

One  of  them,  the  "Oneida  Convocation,"  comprising  the  five 
eastern  counties,  and  centring  at  Utica.  had,  in  its  eight  years  of 
life  thus  far,  accomplished  some  important  mi.ssionary  work,  chiefly 
the  erection  of  a  parish  at  Clinton,  the  seat  of  Hamilton  College, 
and  vigorous  missions  at  Clark's  Mills.  Augusta  and  Deansville — these 
last  through  the  work  of  a  most  earne.st  and  faithful  missionary,  the 
Rev.  Russell  Todd,  who  did  notable  work  through  many  years  after 
in  Chenango  County.  There  were  even  then  from  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  clergymen  and  parishes  whose  natural  centre  was  Utica,  and  the 
frequent  meetings  of  the  Convocation  were  certainly  stimulating  and 
profitable,  if  not  always  entirely  harmonious.  Among  other  things  a 
"Church  Reading  Room"  was  established  in  Utica,  containing 
also  the  editorial  oflnce  of  the  Afessens^er,  and  one  for  the  Diocesan 
Secretary.  But  after  a  year's  trial  this  combination  was  found 
impracticable,  and  was  given  up. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Gregory,  D.D.,  the  oldest  clergyman  in  residence 
except  Dr.  Shelton,  died  at  Syracuse,  April  5,  1866.  I  have  spoken 
before  of  his  character  and  services,  but  it  should  be  noted  that  in 
several  lines  of  Church  work  and  teaching  he  was  a  pioneer  in  West- 
em  New  York.  S.  James's  Church,  Syracuse,  to  build  and  maintain 
which  he  gave  up  the  large  and  much  richer  parish  of  S.  Paul  in  the 
same  city,  was  the  first  really  "  free  church  "  in  the  Diocese  support- 
ed wholly  by  the  ofifertory.  Before  this  he  had  established,  in  S. 
Paul's,  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  successful  Parish  Schools.  He 
was  a  leader  in  the  study  of  Church  architecture  and  music  of  his 
day,  and  in  setting  forth  both  by  example  and  teaching  a  higher  stand- 
ard of  self-denial   and   self-sacrifice  in  the  work  of  the  Church,  to 


266  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

which  he  gave  not  only  untiring  labour,  but  thousands  of  dollars  out 
of  what  seemed  to  others  poverty.  Finally,  when  disabled  from 
regular  pastoral  care,  he  carried  on  through  his  last  years  an  impor- 
tant enterprise  in  the  publication  and  sale  of  Church  books,  to  the 
benefit  of  everyone  else  more  than  of  himself.  I  do  not  remember 
another  instance  of  unselfish  devotion  to  duty,  in  such  degree^  in  the 
whole  history  of  the  Diocese.* 

Many  of  the  clergy,  with  the  Bishop,  attended  the  burial  at  Syra- 
cuse on  the  afternoon  of  April  9  ;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  same  day, 
the  Bishop,  presiding  at  a  meeting  of  the  Oneida  Convocation  at  Utica, 
took  occasion  to  enforce  upon  its  members  the  necessity  of  ' '  getting 
ready"  for  what,  he  said,  7nust  take  place  within  three  years, — the 
erection  of  Utica  into  the  See  of  a  Bishop.  His  words  made  a  deep 
impression  on  all  present,  and  from  that  time  until  the  Convention  at 
Syracuse  in  August,  the  "  new  See  "  was  a  constant  subject  of  con- 
ference and  correspondence  in  that  part  of  the  Diocese, — that  is,  in 
Oneida,  Jefferson  and  Madison  counties  especially.  The  next  meet- 
ing of  the  Convocation  was  at  the  little  hamlet  of  Augusta,  in  the 
Oriskany  Valley,  where  the  Bishop  and  sixteen  priests  met  the  people 
from  all  the  country  around  for  a  novel  celebration  of  ' '  Independence 
Day," — the  consecration  of  a  church  building  secured  by  our  mis- 
sionary, Russell  Todd,  from  twenty  years'  disuse  by  a  Baptist  con- 
gregation, and  neatly  fitted  up  and  supplied  with  all  requisites  for 
Divine  Service.  The  building  and  its  precincts  were  thronged,  and 
few  of  those  present,  I  imagine,  forgot  to  their  dying  day  the  patriotic 
as  well  as  Catholic  sermon-address  which  the  Bishop  gave  them.  In 
the  interval  between  the  service  and  the  bountiful  dinner  which  the 
people  had  provided,  a  brief  business  meeting  was  held,  the  Bishop 
presiding,  at  which  the  name  of  the  Convocation  was  changed  from 
"  Oneida  "  to  "  Utica,"  and  a  Committee  appointed  "  on  the  erec- 
tion of  a  See  at  Utica."  Their  Report,  unanimously  adopted  at  an 
adjourned  meeting  at  Utica,  July  9,  (the  Bishop  again  presiding,)  was 


*  "  His  whole  history,"  says  Bishop  Coxe  in  his  Address  of  1866,  "entitles 
him  to  be  remembered  with  Davenport  Phelps  and  Father  Nash,  as  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Diocese.  And  let  him  be  imitate  d  as  well  as  remembered  !  Let 
the  Laity  learn  to  do,  out  of  their  abundance,  what  he  did  by  his  holy  self-deni- 
als ;  let  us  of  the  Clergy  copy  his  patience  and  perseverance,  if  not  his  entire 
self-sacrifice,  and  we  shall  see  the  primitive  day  revived." 


The  Oneida   Convocation  267 

in  substance  a  statement  in  detail  of  facts  bearing  on  the  possible 
erection  of  a  new  Diocese  composed  wholly  or  in  part  of  '-those 
portions  of  the  Diocese  of  which  Ulica  is  the  natural  centre."  It  is 
too  long  to  give  here  in  full,  but  a  summary  of  it  may  be  of  some 
interest  even  at  this  far-off  day.  It  is  printed  in  full  in  the  Diocesan 
Journal  of  1866,  p.  186. 

The  ••  five  Eastern  Counties,"  Oneida,  Jefferson,  Lewis,  Madison 
and  Chenango,  covering  5,939  square  miles,  had  a  population  of 
278,031,  mostly  in  233  towns  and  villages;  35  clergymen,  48  parishes 
(all  supplied  with  services,  only  13  technically  "self-supporting,"  but 
13  others  able  to  be  such),  all  but  two  of  which  had  church  buildings, 
and  21  rectories;  3.339  communicants;  offerings  for  all  purposes 
about  $40,000  in  1S65  ;  and  about  $1,400  a  year  (including  present 
assessments)  available  at  once  for  the  support  of  a  Bishop.  The 
Report  does  not  go  into  any  argument  for  the  erection  of  a  See. 
''What  plan  of  division  is  best  for  the  whole  Diocese,  may  be  best 
left  for  the  Diocese  itself  to  determine  ;  but  it  belongs  to  the  clergy 
and  laity  of  these  counties  to  say  whether  they  require  and  will  sup- 
port a  Bishop  of  their  own.  If  such  is  the  opinion  of  this  Convoca- 
tion, it  ought  at  once  to  initiate  such  action  as  will  ascertain  the  views 
of  the  other  clergy  and  laity  of  the  district,  especially  those  of  Jeffer- 
son and  Chenango  counties,  who  are  associated  in  Convocations  of 
their  own  ;  so  that  if  their  concurrence  should  be  obtained,  the  result, 
with  all  necessary  statements  and  arguments,  may  be  laid  before  the 
next  Convention  of  the  Diocese.  This,  we  believe,  would  be  our 
duty,  even  had  not  the  subject  been  laid  before  us,  and  our  consider- 
ation of  it  expressly  advised  by  the  Bishop.  It  is  well  known  that  a 
speedy  division  of  the  Diocese  is  inevitable.  Whether  it  shall  be  on 
the  Territorial  or  the  See  principle  is  one  question  ;  whether  Utica 
shall  in  any  case  become  a  See  is  another.  The  Committee  are  con- 
vinced that  the  general  concurrence  and  immediate  action  of  the  Con- 
vocations of  the  five  Eastern  counties  will  be  needed  to  accomplish 
such  a  result. 

"  Charles  W.  Haves, 
Alfred  B.  Goodrich, 
H.  L.  M.  Clarke, 
William  J.  Alger, 
William  T.  Gibson, 

"  Committee.' '* 


*  This  report  was  written  by  me,  but  heartily   approved  by  all  the  Committee, 
and  by  all  the  Convocation  with  perhaps  one  or  two  exceptions. 


2  68  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

This  report  was  communicated  at  once  to  the  JeflFerson  County 
Convocation  (one  of  whom,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Theodore  Babcock,  had 
taken  an  active  part  with  us  in  this  movement),  by  whom  it  was 
heartily  approved  ;  and  to  that  of  Chenango  County,  whose  members 
were  divided,  part  of  them  preferring  a  See  of  Syracuse,  or  an  equal 
division  of  the  Diocese.  All  however  acceded  to  our  request  for  a 
meeting  of  the  Clergy  and  Lay  Deputies  of  the  five  counties,  which 
was  held  at  Syracuse  on  the  day  before  the  Annual  Convention  at  the 
same  place,  and  very  fully  attended  ;  the  Hon.  Joseph  Juliand,  of 
Greene,  presiding,  and  the  Rev.  Alfred  B.  Goodrich  being  Secretary. 
The  object  of  the  meeting  was  ' '  a  full  conference  and  interchange  of 
views  in  regard  to  the  division  of  the  Diocese,  and  the  erection  of  a 
See  of  Utica." 

' '  The  following  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  : 

"I.  That  this  meeting  concurs  in  the  expressed  wish  of  the 
Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  that  the  statements  of  a  report  on  the  erection 
of  a  new  Episcopal  See,  read  at  the  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Oneida 
Convocation,  July  9,  1866,  be  laid  before  the  Convention  of  the 
Diocese  ;  not  with  a  view  to  the  immediate  adoption  or  sanction  of  the 
plan  therein  suggested,  but  in  order  that  they  may  be  referred,  if  the 
Convention  shall  think  proper,  together  with  any  other  plans  of  division 
which  may  be  proposed,  to  a  committee  on  that  subject. 

"  II.  That  this  meeting,  while  believing  that  the  interests  of  the 
Church  in  these  counties  will  be  best  promoted  by  the  erection  of  a 
See  on  the  plan  suggested,  is  nevertheless  ready  to  concur  in  any  plan 
of  division  which  shall  receive  the  cordial  co-operation  of  the  Clergy 
and  Laity  of  these  counties,  and  the  assent  of  the  Bishop  and  Con- 
vention of  the  Diocese  ;  provided,  that  in  any  such  plan  the  principle 
of  the  See  Episcopate  shall  be  kept  in  view. 

"III.  That  a  Committee  of  three  Rectors  and  two  Laymen  be 
appointed  by  the  Chair,  to  lay  the  above  proceedings  and  statements 
before  the  Convention. 

"  The  Chair  appointed  as  such  Committee,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Babcock, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Ayrault,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Goodrich,  the  Hon.  F.  W. 
Hubbard  (of  VVatertown),  and  the  Hon.  Edward  A.  Brown  (of  Low- 
ville)."* 

These  Resolutions  are  taken  in  substance  from  those  of  the  Oneida 
Convocation  a  few  days  before  (Aug.  6),  omitting  a  preamble  which 
says  that 


Joum.  W.  N.  Y.  1866,  p.  185. 


TnK  Onkii)\   Convocation,    1866  269 

"  It  appears  to  this  Convocation  highly  probable  that  before  a  new 
See  can  be  erected  and  a  IJishop  elected,  the  strength  of  the  Church  in 
this  District  will  be  in  all  respects  adequate  to  the  support  of  a  Bishop 
and  the  work  of  a  Diocese  ;  and  ''that  "  we  believe  the  residence  and 
labours  of  a  Hishop  among  us  to  be  indispensable  to  the  efficient 
carrying  on  of  the  work  of  the  Church  in  these  counties." 

And  omitting  also  a  further  provision  of  the  Second  Resolution, 

"  That  such  plan  shall  contenijilate  the  present  or  ultimate  erection 
of  the  City  of  I'tica  into  an  Episcopal  Sec."* 

Hut  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  "unanimous"  action  of  the  five 
Eastern  counties  was  reached  without  much  debate.  The  Chenango 
county  delegates  were  more  than  doubtful;  Dr.  l""erdinand  Rogers 
(of  Greene)  was  utterly  opposed  to  <///  division  of  the  Diocese,  and 
cast  an  almost  solitary  vote  (cjf  the  clergy)  against  it  the  ne.xt  year  ; 
Walter  Ayrault  tof  ().\ford),  James  A.  Robinson  (of  Bainbridge),  and 
George  W.  Dunbar  (New  Berlin),  were  inclined  to  look  to  Syracuse 
for  a  centre.  Judge  Hubbard,  of  Watertown,  and  Judge  Brown,  of 
Lowville.  "would  be  abundantly  satisfied  with  the  project"  if  the 
financial  question  could  be  settled.  It  was  settled  very  unexpectedly 
to  many  of  the  delegates  by  Mr.  Joseph  A.  Shearman  of  Trinity 
Church,  Utica,  who  brought  an  offer  from  the  Vestry  of  that  parish 
to  provide  the  amount  necessary  to  increase  the  Bishop's  salary  to 
<;3,ooo,  on  condition  that  Utica  should  be  the  See  City,  and  Trinity 
Church  (the  church  of  its  mother  parish),  the  Cathedral  ;  the  parish 
providing  also  for  the  support  of  its  own  Rector. t  This  announce- 
ment ended  all  objection  to  the  proposed  action,  which,  with  the 
resolutions  of  the  Oneida  Convocation,  was  presented  to  the  Conven 
lion  by  Dr.  Babcock,  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  the  Division 
of  the  Diocese  "  for  their  respectful  consideration. "t 

The  chief  feature  of  this  Convention  of  1866  was,  of  course,  the 
Bishop's  Address  ;  and  the  centre  of  interest  in  that  was,  equally  of 
course,  his  remarks  on  the  now  impending  Division  of  the  Diocese. 
1  must  give  them  in  full. 

"  The  remarks  which  I  made  la.st  year  as  to  a  division  of  the   Dio- 


*  Gosp.  Mess.  XL,  133. 

t  Trinity  Church  was  to  receive  a  large  addition  to  the  income   of^its  endow- 
ment of  i8n  from  Trinity  Church,  New  York.       (See  above,  chapter  vii,  p.  32.) 
\   Joum.  1866,  p.  31. 


270  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

cese,  were  suggested  by  general  principles,  and  by  the  condition  of 
growth  and  prosperity  in  which  my  revered  predecessor  left  it.  It 
was  his  desire  that  it  should  remain  one  Diocese  during  his  own 
lifetime.  He  expressed  to  me,  in  one  of  the  few  delightful  interviews 
I  had  with  him,  as  his  Assistant,  his  own  conviction  that  the  change 
must  come,  and  that  the  only  question  is  as  to  time.  This  he  seemed 
willing  to  leave  to  my  judgment,  in  case  I  should  succeed  him,  and  I 
assured  him  that  my  views  and  wishes  on  the  subject  were  decided 
by  his  own,  until  such  an  event  might  lay  upon  me  the  responsibility 
of  examining  the  case  from  a  new  point  of  view.  My  mind  is  made 
up  that  a  serious  consideration  of  the  subject  can  be  no  longer  post- 
poned ;  and,  assuming  that  a  new  See  must  soon  be  erected  within 
the  bounds  of  this  Diocese,  I  think  the  question  becomes  simplified  if 
reduced  to  this  practical  form, — shall  this  be  done  with  a  view  to  the 
consummation  of  the  work  at  the  General  Convention  of  1868,  or  is  it 
to  be  postponed  till  that  of  1871  ?  If  it  be  resolved  to  prepare  for  the 
former  period,  I  would  suggest  that  the  whole  subject  be  referred  to  a 
Committee,  who  shall  report  at  our  next  Diocesan  Convention,  as  to 
the  steps  to  be  taken  and  the  principles  to  be  recognized.  Let  it  be 
remembered  that,  even  should  these  steps  be  resolved  on,  the  meas- 
ure will  not  be  completed  till  some  time  in  1869.  Should  the  Diocese 
resolve  to  lay  the  matter  over  for  the  Convention  of  187 1,  it  will  be 
postponing  its  practical  completion  till  1872.  I  tremble  when  I  think 
what  a  loss  six  years'  delay  may  involve,  not  only  to  the  Church,  but 
to  many  immortal  souls,  and  to  unborn  generations  in  Western  New 
York.  I  would  not  have  the  responsibility  of  such  delay  recorded  in 
my  account  with  my  Master.  The  question  is  not  whether  I  can 
visit  our  existing  parishes  with  some  degree  of  efficiency,  but  whether 
I  can  also  visit  the  towns  and  villages  where  there  should  be 
parishes,  and  so  '  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist,'  which  is  part  of  the 
duty  laid  on  me  by  inspired  Wisdom.  In  this  morning's  Lesson 
occurred  the  text,  '  Let  us  go  into  the  «^^/  towns.'  To  do  this  is 
simply  impossible  for  one  Bishop.  To  visit  the  towns  already  supplied 
with  churches  is  all  that  I  can  accomplish.  I  believe  that  my  work 
will  be  rendered  very  little,  if  at  all,  more  easy  by  the  proposed  meas- 
ure ;  but  I  know  I  can  do  more  good  with  the  same  outlay  of  strength. 
I  have  faith  to  believe  that  if  two  Dioceses  be  created  out  of  the  one, 
each  Diocese,  in  ten  or  fifteen  years, will  be  as  strong  as  the  one  is  now, 
if  not  stronger.  '  There  is  that  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth  ;  and  there 
is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but  it  tendeth  to  poverty.'  To 
your  wisdom,  beloved  brethren,  I  leave  the  whole  subject,  after  these 
remarks,  and  I  feel  sure  that  you  will  act  respecting  them  in  the  holy 
fear  of  God." 

On  motion  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Shelton,  this  portion  of   the   Bishop's 
Address  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  fifteen,  to  report  to  the  next 


The  Eastern  Counties  Plan  271 

Convention.  The  Bishop  appointed  the  Rev.  I)rs.  Shelton,  Foote, 
Babcock.  Jackson,  Beach  and  Co.xc,  the  Rev.  George  M.  Hills,  the 
Rev.  Levi  W.  Norton,  Judges  Denio  (of  Utica),  Hubbard  (Water- 
town),  Comstock  (Syracuse),  Johnson  (Corning)  and  Smith  (Buffalo), 
and  Messrs.  W.  B.  Douglas  (Geneva),  and  W.  R.  Osborne  (Bing- 
hamton).  The  committee  represented  quite  fairly  the  larger  parishes 
in  all  parts  of  the  Diocese  ;  and  was  regarded,  justly,  as  one  of  very 
"  conservative  "  character. 


CHAPTER    XL 

A  NEW  SEE  ERECTED 

_^_^^§^'N  important  report  was  made  to  the  Convention  of  1866, 
by  the  "  Education  and  Missionary  Board,"  on  Dioc- 
esan Missions. 


It  shows,  first,  that  while  there  had  been  no  less  than 
73  Missionaries  in  the  Diocese  during  part  of  the  year, 
and  there  were  now  62  actually  at  work,  the  offerings  for  that  object 
were  only  $5,381.68,  besides  ^1,681.12  from  the  income  of  the  Per- 
manent Missionary  Fund,  in  all,  $7,062.80.  The  full  missionary  sti- 
pend was  still,  as  for  forty  years  past,  only  $125.  In  those  years  the 
Diocese  had  grown  from  one  of  the  weakest  to  one  of  the  strongest  in 
the  country  ;  it  was  now  called  upon  to  build  in  larger  measure  on  the 
foundation  laid  so  wisely  by  Bishop  De  Lancey.  It  was  ascertained 
that  in  one  of  the  counties  two-thirds  of  the  people  had  not  even  a 
nominal  connection  with  any  religious  body.  The  Board  urges 
strongly  an  increase  of  stipends  where  they  are  specially  needed,  and 
an  independent  support  of  their  ministers  by  parishes  long  dependent 
on  missionary  aid. 

The  report  was  referred  to  a  special  committee,  which  through  its 
chairman,  Dr.  Van  Ingen,  submitted  resolutions  approving  of  the 
Convocations  now  organized  in  all  parts  of  the  Diocese  for  furthering 
this  work,  and  proposing  that  their  presiding  officers  be  appointed  by 
the  Bishop,  and  their  functions  "  deiined  by  authority."  To  this  last 
provision  there  was  some  opposition,  and  the  matter  was  finally  re- 
ferred to  the  Bishop,  with  the  result  that  no  change  was  made  in  this 
respect  until  the  adoption  of  the  Deanery  system  in  1879  ;  the  presid- 
ing officer  being  the  Bishop,  if  present,  otherwise  the  Rector  of  the 
parish  in  which  the  meeting  was  held.* 

Resolutions  were  adopted  calling  for  •'  a  very  large  expansion  of 
our  Diocesan  Missionary  system,"  involving  a  great  increase  of  offer- 
ings, stipends  and  centres  of  work.     The  next  year's  report  showed 


*  It  is  a  curious  instance  of  the  survival  of  old  prejudices  that,  before  adopting 
even  the  first  resolution  approving  generally  of  Convocations,  the  Convention 
insisted  on  changing  this  ecclesiastical  term  to  the  Congregational  one  "  Asso- 
ciation." The  same  thing  was  done  later  in  Central  New  York,  and  the  presid- 
ing officer  was  called  "  President  "  instead  of  "  Dean  "  till  1892. 


t 


I 


S.  LUKE'S  CHURCH,  BRANCHPOKT 
Consecrated  i86S 


CONVKNTION    OK     1866  273 

three  more  self-supporting  parishes,  six  more  missionaries,  and 
$2,186.32  more  offerings,  a  real  and  substantial  gain  ;  but  no  increase 
of  missionary  stipends. 

The  Bishop  states  that  during  the  year  he  had  confirmed  1,732 
persons,  ordained  five  deacons  and  seven  priests,  and  consecrated 
six  churches.  In  1868  the  confirmations  numbered  1,849,  and  the 
average  of  the  four  years  preceding  the  division  of  the  Diocese  was 
1,636.  This  shows  (as  the  Bishop  remarks  in  1868)  a  "  steady 
growth  "  of  the  Diocese,  "  though  by  no  means  all  that  we  must  de- 
sire." 

"  The  faithful  ministr)'  of  the  parochial  Clergy  is  the  source,  under 
God,  of  these  gratifying  results.  They  plant  and  water,  and  Bishops 
come  in  to  help  them  gather  the  harvest  and  bind  the  sheaves."* 

"  Constantly  have  I  been  led  to  praise  God  for  the  zeal  and  patience 
of  the  clergy,  to  whose  habitual  self-denials  the  Church  owes  every- 
thing, and  the  country  more  than  it  can  imagine.  The  general  good- 
will and  cooperation  of  the  Laity  with  their  Pastors  is  also  worthy  of 
note  ;  but  it  must  be  said  that  in  very  few  parishes  are  the  people  fully 
alive  to  the  inestimable  privileges  secured  to  a  community  by  the  con- 
stant ministrations  of  the  Gospel  ;  changes  too  frequently  occur,  and 
in  too  many  instances  these  changes  are  not  creditable  to  the  parishes. 
Our  people  do  not  reflect  that  while  they  are  growing  rich,  the  Clergy 
have  been  growing  relatively  poorer  than  heretofore  ;  they  do  not 
reriect  that  they  withhold  their  sons  from  the  Ministry  because  it  is 
poorly  rewarded  in  this  world  ;  and  yet,  they  are  often  ungrateful  for 
faithful  services,  because  they  desire  something  more  striking  and 
popular.  .  .  Surely,  they  who  can  only  afford  to  a  Pastor  the  sup- 
port of  the  humblest  artizan,  ought  to  cherish  and  uphold  him  at  least 
with  gratitude  and  good-will." 

He  acknowledges  the  receipt  from  Bishop  De  Lancey's  estate  of 
the  "  Startin  Fund,"  $1,800,  given  first  to  Bishop  Hobart  (see  Ch. 
VIII.  p.  39  above),  and  applied  by  him  and  afterwards  by  Bishop 
De  Lancey  to  ' '  divers  forms  of  benevolence  ' '  in  Western  New  York  ; 
and  of  a  legacy  from  the  late  Bishop  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Episcopate 
Fund,  of  55,000  for  a  special  fund  for  "  the  aid  of  missionaries  or  the 
education  of  Candidates  for  Holy  Orders,  "t 

"Touching  the  Memorial  Church,  I  would  announce  that  the 
Training  School  will  hereafter  be  known  as  the  De  L.\ncev  Divinity 
School  ;  and  it  is  the  earnest  desire  of  the  Education  Board  that  the 


*Journ.  186S,  p.  48. 

t  Of  these  funds  more  will  appear  later  on. 


2  74  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Memorial  Church  and  the  Divinity  School  may  form  one  group  of 
buildings,  presenting,  by  their  unity  of  design,  and  harmony  of  uses, 
no  ignoble  tribute  to  the  Apostolic  man  with  whom  both  designs 
originated." 

This  change  of  name  was  criticised  at  the  time  and  afterwards,  with 
some  justice,  as  a  departure  from  Bishop  De  Lancey's  plan,  on  the 
ground  that  the  School  was  never  meant  to  be  a  "  Divinity  School  " 
in  the  ordinary  sense,  but  only  a  School  for  training  a  special  class  of 
students  in  various  stages  of  preparation  for  the  Ministry.  It  is  only 
fair  to  say  that  this  precise  change  of  title  had  been  suggested  to 
Bishop  De  Lancey  himself  as  early  as  1861,  by  some  of  the  first 
students,  and  that  he  had  expressed  himself  as  "  highly  gratified  with 
the  request,  and  would  be  pleased  to  have  the  school  bear  his  name, 
but  not  during  his  lifetime. ' '  On  his  decease  Bishop  Coxe  was  notified 
of  this  action,  and  requested  to  make  the  change  of  name,  which  he  did 
accordingly."* 

The  Committee  of  fifteen  on  the  Division  of  the  Diocese  held  its 
first  meeting  at  Buffalo,  Jan.  9,  1867,  all  the  clergymen  and  four  of 
the  seven  laymen  being  present.  Answers  were  reported  from  sundry 
clergymen  and  laymen  to  "  a  series  of  questions  ' '  sent  out  by  the 
chairman  (Dr.  Shelton)  to  the  members  of  the  Committee.  It  is  not 
stated  how  generally  these  questions  had  been  communicated  outside 
of  the  Committee,  but  they  included  the  two  questions  of  the  expe- 
diency of  division  and  the  general  line  of  division,  (/.  e.  from  North  to 
South  or  from  East  to  West),  and  the  answers  received  indicated,  in 
the  judgment  of  the  Committee,  the  opinions  of  the  majority  of  the 
parishes  in  the  Diocese.  The  result  was  a  unanimous  resolution  in 
favour  of  dividing  the  Diocese  by  a  North  and  South  line  into  two 
nearly  equal  parts.  Other  resolutions  looked  to  an  equal  division  of 
the  Episcopate  Fund,  and  such  other  diocesan  funds  as  could  be 
divided  ;  to  a  "  plan  of  affiliation  "  between  the  five  dioceses  soon  to 
be  formed  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  to  a  consideration  of  the 
"  Eastern  Counties  "  plan  presented  by  the  Utica  Convocation,  and 
the  "  See  principle."      The  Committee  then  adjourned  to  July   12  ; 


*  Gospel  Messenger,  XL.  155.  The  students  were  Duncan  C.  Mann,  George 
W.  Southwell,  and  Alexander  H.  Rogers.  See  also  Dr.  W.  D.  "Wilson's  letter, 
objectmg  to  the  term  "Divinity  School"  in  place  of  "Training  School."  (Id. 
p.  167.) 


The  Southern  Tier  275 

but  before  separating  they  met  the  Bishop  at  the  See  House,  and  re- 
ceived his  cordial  approval  of  their  action,  subject  to  that  of  the 
Convention  of  1867.* 

So  much  is  in  print.  We  learn  otherwise  that  this  first  meeting  of 
the  Committee  was  opened  by  an  elaborate  speech  from  its  venerable 
Chairman,  Dr.  Shelton,  in  utter  opposition  to  any  plan  of  division 
whatever,  and  that  this  sentiment  was  concurred  in  by  at  least  some 
of  the  laymen  ;  so  that  the  final  unanimity  was  not  attained  without 
some  effort,  and  probably  in  view  of  the  general  feeling  in  the  Dio- 
cese as  reported  to  the  Committee,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Bishop. t 
During  the  winter  the  subject  was  discussed  in  several  of  the  Convo- 
cations of  the  Diocese  ;  all  expressing  a  united  opinion  in  behalf  of 
the  erection  of  a  new  See.  but  only  one  (Onondaga)  in  favour  of  the 
line  proposed  by  the  Committee,  and  only  one  (the  "Southern  Tier," 
i.  e.,  Chemung,  Schuyler,  Tompkins,  Tioga  and  Broome),  against  it. 
At  the  Convention  of  1866  an  earnest  speech  was  made  by  the  Rev. 
Charles  H.  Piatt  of  Binghamtoni:  in  favour  of  a  line  of  division  which 
would  keep  together  the  parts  of  the  Diocese  already  connected  with 
Buffalo  by  railways  following  the  rivers  and  valleys  from  West  to  East. 
No  record  of  this  appears,  as  no  motion  was  made,  and  the  idea  was 
so  new  and  startling  that  it  was  hardly  taken  seriously  by  most  of 
those  who  heard  what  they  called  "  this  after-dinner  speech."  But 
it  was  taken  up  very  much  in  earnest  by  the  Southern  Tier  Convoca- 
tion, and  gradually  attracted  the  attention  and  approval  of  a  large 
part  of  the  Diocese.  It  made  no  impression  on  the  Committee  of 
Fifteen,  who,  after  considering  it  at  their  July  meeting,  unanimously 
reaffirmed  their  own  plan.  (The  "  Southern  Tier  "  was  not  repre- 
sented on  the  Committee  by  any  one  present  at  either  meeting,  and 
only  eight  of  the  fifteen  members  attended  this  second  one.)  "  The 
ver)'  able  Report  of  the  Oneida  Convocation"  furnished  "ample 
reason  "  they  thought,  why  the  Diocese  should  be  divided,  but  not  on 
the  plan  therein  proposed. 


*  Gospel  Messenger,  XLI.  lo.     (Jan.  17,  1867.) 

t  This  was  stated  to  me  at  the  time  by  one  of  the  Committee  present  at  this 
meeting. 

t  Of  whom  I  have  spoken  before  (Ch.  X.WIII.  p.  177)  as  one  of  the 
brightest  and  ablest  priests  Western  New  York  ever  had.  He  died  almost  in  his 
prime  (46)  at  Binghamton,  Feb.  25,  1869, — a  great  loss  to  the  Diocese. 


276  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

The  Thirtieth  Annual  Convention  met  at  Elmira  on  the  21st  of 
August,  1867.  Itwas  opened  with  achoral  Morning  Prayer  (7  a.  m.), 
followed  at  10  a.  m.  by  the  Holy  Communion,  and  an  admirable  ser- 
mon by  Dr.  Rankine.  One  hundred  and  thirty  clergymen  were  pres- 
ent (including  19  not  members),  and  177  lay  deputies  representing 
94  parishes.  Eight  other  Dioceses  were  represented  by  visiting 
clergy.  Both  the  Secretaries  (Dr.  Matson  and  myself)  had  removed 
from  the  Diocese,  and  after  some  balloting,  the  Rev.  Alfred  B. 
Goodrich  of  Utica  was  elected  Secretary,  and  the  Rev.  George  C. 
Pennell  of  Buffalo  appointed  his  Assistant.  This  and  other  routine 
business  was  not  completed  till  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  there  was 
no  night  session,*  . 

Thursday, began  (after  7  a.  m.  Matins)  with  a  "  Convention  Break- 
fast," lamentably  deficient  in  provisions,  (having  been  prepared  for 
70  instead  of  the  160  who  attended,)  but  abounding  in  wit  and  elo- 
quence, notably  from  Walter  Ayrault,  Dr.  Wilson,  Judge  (Ward)  Hunt 
and  William  H.  Bogart.  I  fear  it  was  the  last  one  (it  was  only  the 
second,  and  I  never  heard  of  another).  Mr.  Ayrault  gave,  at  the 
request  of  the  Bishop,  an  account  of  a  recent  visit  to  Racine  College, 
"  a  thoroughly  Christian  College,  most  interesting  and  satisfactory," 
such  as  he  hoped  we  might  have  in  Hobart.  Dr.  Wilson  responded 
that  he  hoped  Hobart  might  do  even  better  than  Racine  in  fulfilment 
of  the  wish  and  purpose  of  all  concerned  in  its  instruction  and  man- 
agement to  make  it  "  thoroughly  Christian."  In  his  Address  of  the 
same  morning  the  Bishop  took  up  the  subject  most  earnestly,  declar- 
ing that  the  College  must  be  regarded  as  the  common  inheritance  of 
the  two  Dioceses  soon  to  exist ;  its  Trustees  chosen  from  both  in 
equal  proportions  ;  its  Professors  at  liberty  to  make  either  Diocese 
their  canonical  residence  ;  the  Senior  Bishop  its  Visitor,  though  for 
himself  he  would  offer  that  ofBce  freely  and  cordially  to  the  Bishop 
to  be  chosen,  and  "force  it  on  his  acceptance  "  if  he  could  do  so 
without  impropriety.  We  .shall  see  later  what  action  followed  on  these 
words,  and  especially  how  the  Bishop  himself  strove  to  make  them 
good. 

On  the  great  question  before  the  Convention ,  the  Bishop  says  : 


*  The  evening  was  spent  by  some  of  us  in  a  very  delightful  reunion  (the 
last!)  of  the  members  of  "  Hobart  Divinity  School  "  at  Dr.  Paret's  rectory — 
Robinson,  Herrick,  Clarke,  Webster,  Barrows,  Paret,  Parke  and  myself. 


TiiK  Bishop's  Address,  1867  277 

"  I  doubt  not  that  the  conclusions  of  the  Committee  are  wise  and 
sound,  but  they  are  subject  to  amendment  by  your  action,  or  to  any 
other  reception  which  you  may  give  them.  Other  plans  have  been 
proposed  and  ably  sustained  by  argument.  I  am  entirely  willing  to 
leave  all  to  your  wisdom,  under  the  guidance  of  a  good  and  gracious 
Providence,  but  it  seems  to  me  important  that  nothing  should  be  done 
without  the  calmest  consideration  and  a  deliberate  counting  of  the 
cost.  The  future  of  Western  New  York  is  in  a  measure  to  be  settled 
by  your  action.  Are  you  alive  to  your  duties  and  ready  to  undertake 
them .'  If  so,  the  result  is  almost  as  sure  as  the  rising  of  the  mor- 
row's sun.  The  abatement  of  prejudice,  the  disposition  of  thousands 
to  hear  us.  the  longing  of  thousands  more  to  become  identified  with 
us,  is  daily  more  apparent.  The  erection  of  a  new  See  will  rapidly 
develop  the  portion  of  the  field  allotted  to  it,  and  the  same  maybe 
true  of  the  portion  that  may  retain  the  old  name.  But  this  will  involve 
renewed  clerical  effort  and  vigorous  lay  cooperation.  What  is  called 
'  the  Southern  Tier  Plan  '  has  much  to  recommend  it,  and  I  ask  for 
it  a  most  respectful  consideration.  But,  let  it  be  observed  that  it  is  a 
plan  very  much  like  that  of  Western  Pennsylvania  as  set  off  with  its 
See  at  Pittsburgh.  Its  success  therefore  depends  on  the  willingness 
of  Buffalo  to  become  to  the  Southern  Tier,  and  its  own  adjacent  coun- 
ties, the  base  of  resources  and  of  operations.  It  is  a  plan  which 
Buffalo  must  cordially  accept,  or  it  must  be  modified  greatly.  I  say 
this  with  no  definite  information  as  to  the  views  and  wishes  of  the 
Clergy  and  Laity  of  that  city  concerning  it.  If  they  are  ready  to  take 
the  responsibilities,  with  the  honours,  and  to  assume,  in  a  very  great 
proportion,  the  expense  of  the  Episcopate  and  the  Missions  of  such  a 
Diocese,  I  shall  be  more  than  satisfied  to  see  it  established.  If  they 
should  be  unwilling,  however,  to  undertake  so  much,  let  no  time  be 
lost  in  fruitless  debate  ;  let  such  modifications  be  accepted  as  may  be 
found  more  practicable  ;  or  let  the  plan  of  the  Committee  be  preferred, 
with  like  modifications  if  necessary.  .  .  I  wish  to  guard  against 
the  raising  of  sectional  feelings  and  rivalries  such  as  might  endanger 
the  whole  scheme  or  postpone  action.  At  present,  all  things  are  favour- 
able to  the  adoption  of  such  measures  as  shall  make  the  new  Diocese 
a  reality  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1869,  just  thirty  years  after  the  crea- 
tion of  the  Diocese  of  Western  New  York.  Thus,  when  a  generation 
of  men  shall  have  passed  away,  a  timely  progress  will  have  been  made 
towards  providing  for  succeeding  generations,  on  the  principles 
derived  from  past  experience  ;  and  I  repeat  the  assurance  of  my 
strong  convictions  that  we  ought  not  to  postpone  the  movement.  I 
am  pained  to  think  of  parting  with  any  portion  of  this  noble  Diocese, 
and  ceasing  to  be  the  frequent  visitor  of  its  hospitable  homes  and 
churches.  I  have  valued  friends,  already,  in  every  county,  almost  in 
every  town,  and  even  in  very  humble  hamlets  and  stations.  But  their 
best  interests  require  a  nearer  and  more  constant  Episcopal  supervi- 


278  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

sion,  and  I  love  them  too  well  to  bind  them  to  myself  at  a  cost  to  them  of 
immense  advantages,  in  time  and  for  eternity.     This  is  the  great  con- 
sideration ;  and  I  will  submit  to  any  sacrifice  that  may  be  necessary      , 
to  the  consummation  of  what  you  have  so  promptly  undertaken  at  my 
own  instance  and  request." 

Noble  words,  indeed  !  would  that  they  did  not  claim  for  their  author 
so  rare  a  distinction  among  American  Bishops  ! 

The  Order  of  the  Day  (for  elections)  was  suspended  to  hear  at  once 
the  Report  of  the  Committee  of  Fifteen,  which  was  given  in  outline 
by  Dr.  Shelton,  and  in  full  by  Dr.  Coxe,  and  followed  by  that  of  a 
sub-committee  on  "  a  plan  of  affiliation  between  the  divided  portions 
of  the  Diocese,  and  the  resolutions  of  the  meeting  of  the  Five  Eastern 
Counties  relating  to  the  See  Principle,"  presented  by  Dr.  Babcock, 
The  general  Report  recited  the  action  of  the  Committee  ;  the  Bishop's 
Address  of  1866  ;  the  apparent  unanimity  of  the  Diocese,  as  far  as 
heard  from,  in  the  desire  of  a  new  See  ;  sundry  considerations  in 
favour  of  such  action,  and  answers  to  possible  objections  ;  and  pro- 
posed resolutions  in  accordance  with  their  conclusions.  The  Sub- 
Committee  (with  the  approval  of  the  whole  Committee)  recommended, 

First,  that  the  Diocesan  Institutions  (DeVeaux  College,  the  De  Lan- 
cey  Divinity  School  and  the  Cary  Institute)  should  be  under  the 
exclusive  control  of  the  Diocese  in  which  they  were  located,  with  the 
suggestion,  however,  that  each  of  the  two  Dioceses  should  have  "  an 
equal  share"  and  "equal  privileges"  in  both,  and  that  the  Corporation 
of  De  Veaux  should  include  the  Bishops,  ex  officio,  and  members  from 
both  Dioceses  ;*  second,  that  all  other  Diocesan  funds  except  the  Van 
Waganen  Fund  (for  Chenango  County)  should  be  equally  divided  ; 
third,  that  the  General  Convention  should  be  asked  to  enact  a  Canon 
authorizing  a  "  Federate  Council"  of  all  the  Dioceses  of  the  State  ; 
fourth,  that  "  the  new  Dioceses  to  be  erected  from  the  present  Diocese 
of  Western  New  York,  should  each  adopt  a  See  name,  to  be  hereafter 
determined  by  the  Diocese  itself;"  this  last  conclusion  based  not 
upon  "  mere  theories,"  but  upon  the  fact  oi  a  "  steadily  growing  tend- 
ency and  feeling  in  the  Church  in  favour  of  this  principle,"  so  that 
' '  it  may  be  assumed  as  probable  beyond  a  doubt  that  it  will  come  in 
time  to  be  the  accepted  system  in  nearly  all  our  Dioceses,"  and  that 
"the  See  name,  from  its  convenience  and  fitness,  will  be  generally 
adopted."  They  present  six  resolutions  giving  effect  to  these  recom- 
mendations, f 


*  But  it  never  has  up  to  this  time  included  even  the   Bishop  of   Western   New 
York  ex  officio. 

t  For    the  whole  Report,  a  very  full  and  able  one,  see  the  Journal  of  1867,  pp. 


Division  ov    iiik  Diocesk  279 

Of  the  debate  which  followed,  and  to  which  I  was  one  among  many 
interested  listeners  through  the  long  afternoon  and  evening,  I  can  give 
of  course  but  the  barest  outline.  The  first  decisive  vote  was  on  a  pro- 
viso offered  by  a  layman  (Mr.  E.  C.  Frost  of  Watkins)  that  the  divi- 
sion should  take  effect  only  when  the  income  of  the  Episcopate  Fund 
(for  both  Dioceses)  should  be  $10,000.  Ofir  clergyman  (Dr.  Ferdi- 
nand Rogers)  voted  in  favour  of  this  proviso,  and  ninety-four  against 
it.  "  The  Lay  vote,"  says  the  Journal,  "  was  not  called  for."  As 
a  matter  of  fact  it  7f'<7x  called  for.  but  given  up  on  the  ruefully  humor- 
ous remark  of  Judge  Hunt  that  it  could  only  be  taken  "as  an  agree- 
able pastime."  The  Committee's  line  of  division,  and  the  •'  South- 
em  Tier"  line  were  each  voted  down  as  amendments  to  the  general 
question,  as  well  as  a  proviso  by  Judge  Hunt  "  that  previous  provision 
shall  be  made  for  the  suitable  support  of  the  Episcopate  in  each  of 
the  Dioceses  ;"*  and  the  Convention,  after  appropriate  prayers  by  the 
Bishop,  and  a  space  for  silent  prayer,  proceeded  to  vote  on  the  main 
question, — simply,  "  it  is  expedient  that  the  Diocese  of  Western  New 
York  should  be  divided," — the  Lay  vote,  by  an  act  of  special  court- 
esy, being  taken  first.  Nine  parishes  out  of  86  gave  a  negative  vote, 
and  one  was  divided.!  The  Clerical  vote  was  100  to  2,  Dr.  Rogers 
being  seconded  this  time  by  the  Rev.  Henry  M.  Brown.  "  The  Con- 
vention, immediately  on  the  announcement"  of  the  vote,"  joined  [at  the 
suggestion  of  Dr.  Babcock]  in  singing  Gloria  in  Excelsis."  It  should 
be  added  that  the  various  provisos  for  the  support  of  the  Episcopate 
as  a  condition  of  division  were  long  and  ably  debated  ;  Gen.  Martin- 
dale  (of  Rochester),  Judge  Hunt  (Utica),  Dr.  Van  Ingen,  Dr.  Van 
Rensselaer,  Thomas  C.  Montgomery,  William  H.  Bogart  and  others, 
generally  advocating  them,  and  the  Rev.  Drs.  Beach,  Paret,  and  Van 
Deusen,  and  Dr.  James  P.  White  of  Buffalo  on  the  other  side.  The 
Bishop  summed  up  by  saying  that  "he  wished  every  one  to  vote 
independently  ;  he  could  discharge  his  duty  according  to  the  Canons 
by  a  visitation  once  in  three  years,  but  that  is  not  what  we  want.     If 

24-31.  Of  the  Committee,  Dr.  Shelton  and  Judge  Denio,  at  least,  were  strongly 
opposed  to  any  division,  and  voted  for  it  only  because  it  could  not  be  helped. 

*  This  was  renewed  later  by  Mr.  John  Stryker  (of  Rome),  but  withdrawn  with- 
out coming  to  a  vote. 

t  The  negative  votes  were,  Elmira  (Grace),  Bainbridge,  (ireene,  Rochester  (S. 
Paul),  Watkins,  Seneca  Falls,  Ilammondsport,  Ithaca,  Clyde.  Branchport  was 
divided. 


28o  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

there  is  difficulty  in  dividing,  there  is  more  difficulty  in  not  dividing. 
Bishop  De  Lancey  had  assured  him  that  division  must  come,  it  was 
only  a  question  of  time  ;  though  he  hoped  it  would  not  come  in  his 
day."* 

The  question  of  the  line  of  division  followed  immediately,  and  was 
discussed  with  great  earnestness,  and  also  great  good  temper,  through 
the  remainder  of  the  afternoon  and  the  whole  of  the  evening,  till 
nearly  midnight.  On  the  "  Southern  Tier  "  side  were  Dr.  John  M. 
Guion,  then  Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Seneca  Falls,  (a  very  able 
man,  whose  words  were  apt  to  cut  like  a  razor  into  friend  and  foe), 
the  Hon.  John  A.  Collier  of  Binghamton,  Judge  Farrington  of  Owego, 
the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Piatt,  Dr.  Paret  (by  far  the  most  effective  and 
convincing  champion  on  that  side),  and  others  whom  I  do  not  now 
remember.  On  the  Committee's  side  were  Judge  Denio  of  Utica, 
Judge  James  M.  Smith  of  Buffalo,  Judge  Darwin  Smith  of  Rochester 
and  Mr.  WiUiam  M.  White  of  Canaseraga.  Mr.  Ayrault,  Dr.  Gib- 
son, Mr.  Witherspoon  and  Dr.  Wilson  also  spoke,  the  three  former 
generally  favouring  the  Southern  Tier  line,  though  in  the  end  only  the 
first  voted  for  it.  At  a  late  hour  it  was  rejected  by  a  decided  though 
by  no  means  unanimous  vote,  63  to  27  of  the  clergy  and  47  to  22  of 
the  Laity,  t  The  various  resolutions  offered  by  the  Committee  were 
then  adopted  with  little  discussion,  except  that  on  the  "  See  Prin- 
ciple," which  was  laid  on  the  table  simply  because  one  or  two  wanted 
to  speak  on  it,  and  another  debate  at  that  hour  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. Most  of  these  resolutions  simply  gave  effect  to  the  general 
action ;  but  one,  which  was  passed  without  a  word  of  comment, 
declared  ' '  the  part  of  the  Diocese  lying  east  of  the  line  of  division  to 
be  the  ne^v  Diocese,^'' — an  enactment  at  variance  with  the  whole  history 
of  the  Church  in  Western  New  York.  It  probably  grew  out  of  the  fact 
that  both  the  Bishops  of  Western  New  York  had  resided  on  the  west 
of  the  border  line  ;  but  it  was  none  the  less  a  mistake,  as  it  seems  to 
me,  and  one  in  which  Central  New  York  should  not  have  acquiesced.! 
It  should  be  said  that  several  later  efforts  were  made  (all  in  vain)  to 


*  Gospel  Messenger,  XLI.  138.      (Aug.  29,  1S67.) 

t  The  Journal  gives  the  list  of  names,  which  is  interesting  chiefly  to  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  well-fought  battle.  The  question  was  nearly  decided  by  the  votes  of 
the  large  cities,  both  Clerical  and  Lay. 

\  The  Resolution  asking  for  a  Federate  Council  was  passed  unanimously. 


Division  ok  the  Diocese  281 

change  the  line  of  division  ;  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Lockwood,  to  take 
the  "  Southern  Tier  "  line  east  of  Schuyler  county;  by  Dr.  Paret  to 
substitute  Chemung  for  Steuben  in  the  western  counties  ;  and  by  Mr. 
Ayrault  to  leave  Schuyler  county  in  the  east,  which  last  was  defeated 
by  the  Rev.  Duncan  C.  Mann  with  the  remark  that  "  Schuyler  county 
was  half-way  between,  and  was  of  no  importance  anyway." 


CHAPTER  XLI 


'  CENTRAL  NEW  YORK  " 


|T  will  make  our  story  clearer,  perhaps,  if  we  pass  over 
for  the  present  various  matters  of  interest  belonging  to 
the  year  1867-8,  and  finish  the  history  of  the  division 
of  the  Diocese.  So  far  as  the  formal  work  of  the  Con- 
vention was  concerned,  it  was  complete  in  1867,  and  the 
only  action  taken  at  the  last  Council  of  the  undivided  Diocese  at 
Buffalo,  in  August,  1868,  was  to  accept  an  Act  of  the  Legislature 
providing  for  the  division  of  the  corporate  bodies  holding  permanent 
funds,  (/.  e.,  the  Episcopate  and  Parochial  Funds,)  and  to  request  the 
General  Convention,  (i)  to  ratify  the  division  of  the  Diocese,  (2)  to 
designate  All  Saints'  Day,  1868,  as  the  time  when  it  should  take  effect 
(exactly  thirty  years  from  the  day  when  the  Diocese  itself  came  into 
being),  and  (3)  "  to  refer  the  naming  of  the  new  Diocese  to  its  Con- 
vention, with  the  concurrence  of  the  Bishop  of  Western  New  York." 
In  his  address  the  Bishop  says  : 

"When,  at  a  late  hour  of  the  evening,  I  bade  you  farewell  a  year 
ago  at  Elmira,  I  had  no  time  to  speak  adequately  of  the  great  import- 
ance of  the  work  you  had  there  achieved.  Let  me  begin,  today, 
where  we  left  the  matter,  reminding  you  of  the  fact  that  in  erecting  a 
new  Diocese  we  have  taken  a  step  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the 
Church  and  to  the  people  of  the  State  ;  and  that  it  now  remains  to 
press  it  vigorously  to  its  conclusion.  This  overgrown  Diocese  is  the 
best  evidence  of  the  wisdom  of  the  measure  ;  for  where  would  West- 
ern New  York  have  been,  as  a  portion  of  the  American  Church,  but 
for  the  bold  venture  of  those  who  led  the  way,  thirty  years  ago,  to 
what  M'as  then  a  new  thing,  giving  to  the  whole  Church  a  splendid 
example  of  united  faith  and  works  ?  If  one  year  ago  I  felt  that  the 
time  was  then  ripe  for  another  example  of  the  same  kind,  much  more 
do  I  feel  so  today,  after  another  annual  survey  of  the  field.  It  is 
white  to  the  harvest.  Large  regions  of  this  State  are  almost  destitute 
of  regular  ministrations  of  the  Gospel  in  any  form.  Thousands  of 
the  people  are  living  in  virtual  heathenism  ;  and  the  ignorance  in 
which  children  are  growing  up  to  be  men  and  women  is  such  as 
threatens  the  most  alarming  consequences  in  another  generation. 
The  course  you  have  so  solemnly  adopted  will  meet  the  necessities  of 
the  case  in  some  degree.      We  shall    double   our  forces.       There  is 


The  Sek   Principle  283 

undeveloped  zeal  and  talent  and  wealth  among  the  Churchmen  of 
this  Diocese,  which  it  requires  the  new  organization  to  bring  out ;  and 
I  feel  emboldened  by  my  own  experience  to  predict  that,  as  soon  as 
the  two  Dioceses  are  thoroughly  engaged  in  pushing  the  work  into 
the  rural  districts,  the  results  will  be  surprising." 

The  sermon  at  this  Convention,  by  the  Rev.  George  Morgan  Hills, 
was  a  review  of  the  history  of  the  Diocese  commemorating  Bishop 
De  Lancey  and  the  faithful  Clergy  and  Laymen  who  served  under 
him.  and  the  results  of  their  work  thus  far.  I  can  only  say  of  it  here 
that  it  was  exceedingly  able  and  interesting.  The  representatives  of 
the  Diocese  who  listened  to  it  numbered  1 14  Clergymen  and  163  Lay- 
Deputies. 

In  the  Gospel  Messenger  of  August  6  is  a  very  clear  and  forcible 
editorial  on  the  "  See  Principle,"  a  subject  which  was  at  that  time 
largely  before  the  Church  through  the  able  papers  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
William  Adams  of  Nashotah,  and  others,  in  the  Church  RevieT.v. 
The  position  contended  for  in  all  these  was  precisely  that  of  Bishop 
Coxe's  sermon  at  Pittsburgh,  that  the  See  or  seat  of  every  Bishop, 
the  centre  of  his  work  as  well  as  his  home,  should  be  the  principal 
city  of  his  Diocese,  and  that  ever)'  city  which  was  such  really,  as  well 
as  in  name,  should  have  its  Bishop.  What  made  a  real  "  city  "  was  a 
further  question  ;  but  in  Western  New  York  there  were  four,  at  least, 
about  whose  claims  to  such  a  title  there  could  be  no  doubt.  That 
each  of  these  should  be  an  Episcopal  See  was,  in  the  conviction  of 
Bishop  Coxe,  and  of  many  of  his  Clergy,  only  a  matter  of  time,  and 
of  very  short  lime.  A  few  earnest  and  intelligent  laymen, — intelligent, 
I  mean,  as  having  really  given  some  study  to  the  histor)'  and  teaching 
of  the  Church, — stood  heartily  with  them  ;  but  the  great  body  of  the 
Laity  were  in  this  matter  neither  earnest  nor  well-informed. 

Dr.  Gibson's  admirable  editorial,  after  pointing  out  that  it  was  "  no 
matter  of  accident,"  but  "the  true  law  of  the  Church's  development 
and  growth,"  which  had  named  the  Diocese  in  every  Christian  age 
and  country  from  the  Bishop's  See,  or  Cathedral  city,  considers  the 
practical  difficulties  supposed  to  attend  the  question  in  this  country. 
First,  and  most  serious,  that  of  an  etidowment  based  on  the 
theory  that  a  Bishop  cannot  live  without  an  "  Episcopate  Fund  as 
long  in  figures  as  that  grandiloquent  word  itself."  The  answer  to 
this  is  that  an  American  cathedral,  which  is  simply  a  parish  church 
under  the  Bishop,  can  itself  furnish  largely  the  support  really  needed. 
The  next  difficulty    is  the  autocracy  of  city   Presbyters,  which  might 


284  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

make  the  position  of  a  Bishop  in  every  city  no  more  a  bed  of  roses 
than  it  was  in  the  Primitive  Church.  For  this  "  it  will  need  a  process 
of  education  to  bring  us  back  to  the  order  and  efficiency  that  arose 
out  of  the  real  unity  and  brotherhood  of  the  Primitive  Church.  It  is 
a  growth,  and  the  exigencies  of  the  Church  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration w\\\  produce  the  thing  most  required."  Finally  he  points  out 
that  the  solution  of  these  and  other  real  or  imaginary  difficulties  is 
largely  in  a  Provincial  system  which  is  the  natural  and  necessary 
complement  of  the  See  Episcopate  ;  which  would  obviate  the  supposed 
necessity  of  equipping  every  Diocese  with  separate  Funds  and  Insti- 
tutions for  all  objects,  and  making  it  in  all  respects  independent  of  all 
others.  Central  New  York  might  include  both  its  larger  cities  for  the 
present  in  a  "  Diocese  of  Syracuse  and  Utica,"  or  it  might  accept  the 
generous  offer  which  the  Churchmen  of  the  former  city  were  preparing 
to  make,  to  furnish  a  permanent  and  suitable  residence  for  the 
Bishop  in  the  place  which  should  bear  the  See  name. 

This  proposal  appears  first  in  a  public  meeting  of  the  Churchmen 
of  Syracuse,  Sept.  26,  1868,  at  which  the  Mayor  of  the  City,  the 
Hon.  Charles  Andrews,  presided,  and,  on  motion  of  the  Hon.  George 
F.  Comstock,  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  expressing  the 
hope  that  Syracuse  might  be  the  name  of  the  new  Diocese  and  the 
home  of  its  Bishop,  and  pledging  in  that  case  an  Episcopal  residence 
at  a  cost  of  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  dollars.  This  action  was 
communicated  to  a  Committee  appointed  by  the  Bishop  in  advance  of 
the  Primary  Convention,  to  "prepare  for  definite  action"  in  the 
organization  of  the  new  Diocese. 

On  the  15th  of  October  the  Bishop  called  the  Primary  Convention 
of  the  new  Diocese  to  meet  in  Trinity  Church,  Utica,  on  Tuesday, 
Nov.  10,  1868,  and  at  the  same  time  announced  that  he  had  decided 
to  remain  in  the  Diocese  of  Western  New  York.  At  this  Primary 
Convention  there  were  present  all  but  three  of  the  64  clergymen 
entitled  to  seats,  and  149  Lay  Deputies  representing  66  parishes. 
The  Rev,  Dr.  Rogers  was  chosen  President,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Good- 
rich Secretary.  The  first  act  of  the  Convention  after  organizing  was 
to  place  the  Diocese  under  the  full  charge  of  the  Bishop  of  Western 
New  York,  who  accordingly  took  the  chair.  A  Minute  was  read  by 
the  Rev.  Walter  Ayrault  and  unanimously  adopted  by  a  rising  vote, 
expressing  the  regret  of  the  Clergy  and  Laity  in  parting  from  Bishop 
Coxe  as  their  Diocesan,  their  regard  for  "the  hallowed  memories 
which  linger  around  the  sainted  name    of  De  Lancev,"  and  their 


The  New  Diocese,  1868  285 

determination  to  "carry  forward  into  our  new  Diocese  the  principles 
and  policy  which  he  planted  among  us,  and  which  have  been,  under 
(lod,  the  source  of  our  unity,  stability  and  growth."  They  assure  the 
retiring  Bishop  that  "  his  zeal  and  self-devotion  "  will  be  an  incite- 
ment to  emulate  him  "  in  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of  the  Church," 
"and  that  his  words  of  wisdom  and  eloquence  from  the  Pulpit  and 
the  Episcopal  Chair  will  be  cherished  by  us  always."  Committees 
were  appointed  on  the  Support  of  the  Episcopate,  the  Constitution 
and  Canons,  and  the  Name  of  the  Diocese.  On  Wednesday  morn- 
ing the  Holy  Communion  was  celebrated  in  Grace  Church,  with  a 
Sermon,  by  Bishop  Coxe,  on  the  considerations  which  should  govern 
the  choice  of  a  Bishop. 

First,  maturity  in  years  and  experience.  Second,  sound  learning, 
such  as  no  man  within  or  without  the  Church  could  despise.  Third, 
godliness;  especially  because  "the  moral  tendency  of  the  day  is 
downward,"  and  we  so  often  see  in  public  men  no  sincere  regard  for 
Truth  and  for  the  Divine  precepts;  and  because  "  elevation  to  the 
Episcopate  brings  out  whatever  is  most  characteristic  in  a  man." 
Such  godliness  must  especially  include  humility.  "The  multiplica- 
tion of  dioceses  will  prove  to  be  a  blessing  only  in  proportion  as  the 
primitive  spirit  marks  the  corresponding  development,  in  all  other 
respects,  of  a  primitive  institution.  .  .  With  the  notion  that  a 
bishop's  dignity  depends  upon  the  greatness  of  his  chief  city,  or  the 
extent  of  his  diocesan  area,  it  is  impossible  for  a  reflecting  man  to 
have  any  sympathy." 

The  Convention  by  unanimous  resolution  thanked  the  Bishop  for 
this  Sermon,  and  ordered  it  printed. 

At  the  reassembling  at  three  o'clock,  the  Convention  proceeded  to 
the  election  of  a  Bishop,  Vent  Creator  Spiritus  and  Collects  being 
said,  preceded  by  silent  prayer.  Gen.  John  A.  Green  of  Syracuse 
moved  that  it  was  expedient  to  elect  a  clergyman  of  the  Diocese  ; 
which  was  ruled  out  of  order.  No  nominations  appear  to  have  been 
made. 

After  the  first  ballot,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Paret  read  a  Report  from  the 
Committee  on  the  Support  of  the  Episcopate,  communicating  the 
action  of  the  Churchmen  of  Syracuse  in  regard  to  the  Bishop's  resi- 
dence ;  stating  that  the  income  of  the  half  of  the  Episcopate  fund 
accruing  to  the  new  Diocese  was  $1,739.06,  that  contributions  from 
the  Parishes  amounted  to  $1,428;  and  proposing  that  the    Bishop's 


2  86  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

salary  be  fixed  at  $3,500,  and  an  immediate  and  earnest  effort  made 
to  increase  the  Fund  to  at  least  $50,000.  This  resolution  was  adop- 
ted finally  with  amendments  making  the  salary  $4,000  and  a  house  ; 
and  the  amount  of  the  Fund  to  be  $60,000. 

The  first  ballot  for  Bishop  gave  for  the  Rev.  E.  M.  Van  Deusen, 
D.D.,  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  Utica,  12  clerical  and  17  lay  votes 
(out  of  a  total  of  61  and  68),  for  Dr.  Littlejohn,  of  Brooklyn,  8  and 
II,  for  Dr.  Leeds,  a  former  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  6  and  5,  for 
Dr.  Babcock  5  and  6,  for  Dr.  F.  D.  Huntington  5  and  3,  and  several 
each  for  Drs.  Rankine,  Goodrich  and  Schuyler,  of  the  old  Diocese. 

It  was  the  earnest  desire  of  many  of  the  clergy  and  laity  to  elect  a 
Western  New  York  man,  and  some  of  these  had  long  ago  agreed 
upon  Dr.  Van  Deusen,  a  man  of  sterling  excellence  of  character  and 
rare  qualities  as  a  Pastor  and  in  diocesan  work.*  But  there  were 
others  who  did  not  wish  to  have  him  or  any  one  else  from  the  old  Dio- 
cese, and  the  largest  vote  which  he  received  was  17  clerical  and  20 
lay.  Dr.  Leeds,  who  was  well  known  and  much  beloved  in  Western 
New  York,  and  especially  in  Utica,  his  former  home,  had  on  the  third 
ballot  22  of  each  order.  On  the  fifth  ballot  Dr.  Littlejohn,  who  had 
been  steadily  gaining  in  votes  after  the  first,  was  chosen  by  38  clerical 
votes  out  of  60,  and  42  layout  of  65.  The  election  was  made  unani- 
mous, and  Gloria  in  Excelsis  sung,  but,  I  imagine,  by  no  means  so 
heartily  as  in  the  same  church  in  1864.  The  next  week  Dr.  Littlejohn, 
as  every  one  anticipated,  was  elected  Bishop  of  Long  Island,  and  ten 
days  later  he  had  accepted  that  election,  M'hich  also  seems  to  us  now 
a  foregone  conclusion  ;  but,  of  course,  those  who  voted  for  him  in 
Utica  must  have  somehow  persuaded  themselves  to  the  contrary. 

On  the  following  morning  the  Rev.  Dr.  Coxe  presented  the  Report 
of  the  Committee  on  the  Name  of  the  Diocese. 

They  "  find  the  subject  so  complicated  and  involved,  so  attended 
with  difficulties  and  subject  to  conditions,"  that  they  might  with  pro- 
priety report  it  inexpedient  to  recommend  a  name.  If  the  Conven- 
tion chooses  to  accept  the  ofTer  of  the  Churchmen  of  Syracuse,  that 
settles  the  matter  ;  but  they  think  it  would  have  been  better  for  the 
interests  of  the  Diocese  if  Syracuse  had  made  an  unconditional  offer 
to  give  $20,000  to  the  Episcopate  Fund.  They  are  sensible  of  the 
importance  of  uniformity  in  naming  the  Dioceses  of  the  State,  and 

*  In  this  movement  George  Morgan  Hills,  who  had  himself  been  suggested  as 
a  candidate,  took  an  active  part. 


The  New   Diocese,  1868  287 

presume  that  the  Sec  principle  will  prevail  in  both  the  Dioceses  set  off 
from  New  York  ;  but  on  the  other  hand  that  principle  of  uniformity 
may  perhaps  be  "sufficiently  honoured"  if  the  two  other  Dioceses 
"adhere  to  the  hitherto  established  principle."  They  "  admit  the 
tendency  in  the  Church  towards  the  See  principle,"  but  think  that 
"no  reason  has  yet  been  developed  why  we  should  adopt  it." 
Finally  they  find  three  courses  open  to  the  Convention  ;  to  "  accept 
the  liberal  offer  of  the  Churchmen  of  Syracuse,"  with  its  conditions  ; 
to  delay  action;  or  to  adopt  the  name  of  "Central  New  York." 
They  recommend  neither  of  the  three,  "because,  as  one  more  com- 
plication, they  do  not  themselves  agree,  the  lay  members  inclining  to 
the  name  of  Central  New  York,  and  the  clerical  to  that  of  Syracuse." 

Whh  what  emotions  Bishop  Coxe  heard  this  Report  can  be  imag- 
ined.* It  was  followed  in  the  afternoon  by  an  animated  debate,  in 
which  most  of  the  Clergy  were  on  one  side,  and  most  of  the  Laity  on 
the  other.  The  adoption  of  the  name  "  Syracuse"  was  earnestly 
advocated,  both  on  general  principles  and  in  consideration  of  the 
noble  offer  of  the  Churchmen  of  that  city,  by  Drs.  Gibson,  Van 
Deusen,  Paret,  Clarke,  Ayrault,  Babcock,  and  others,  and  opposed 
by  several  laymen,  and  one  clergyman,  but,  so  far  as  I  find  from  the 
report  in  the  Messenger,  without  the  shadow  of  an  argument  on  that 
side.  It  must  be  said  that  the  action  of  the  majority  of  the  laymen 
appears  to  have  been  discreditable,  entirely  aside  from  the  merits  of 
the  question.  A  motion  asking  the  Bishop  to  express  his  views  was 
objected  to  by  Judge  Hunt,  on  the  extraordinary  ground  that  the 
Bishop  ••  was  not  a  member  of  this  body,"  and  though  carried  by  a 
vote  of  two-thirds,  was  not  complied  with.f  The  name  "  Syracuse 
and  Utica  "  was  proposed  by  Dr.  Van  Deusen  in  hopes  of  reconcil- 
ing the  local  jealousies  which  were  evidently  at  work  in  the  laymen, 
and  was  met  by  one  with  a  sarcastic  proposal  to  add  the  names  of 
several  other  cities  and  towns,  and  by  another  with  "facetious 
remarks  "  about  "  PompeyHill,  Onondaga  Hollow,  and  Salt  Point." 
One  does  not  like  to  chronicle  such  things,  and  we  are  only  concerned 
with  them  as  they  affected  Bishop  Coxe.     In  the  end,  the  clerg)',  after 


*Dr.  Gibson  calls  it  in  the  Messeni^er  "  an  exposition  of  the  see-saw  principle." 
The  Bishop  gives  his  opinion  plainly  enough  in  his  Address  to  the  Special  Con- 
vention quoted  below. 

t  For  the  negative  a  lame  apology  was  made  later  by  Gov.  Seymour,  to  the  effect 
that  the  laity  did  not  wish  to  oppose  the  Bishop's  views,  and  therefore  preferred 
that  he  should  tiot  express  them. 


288  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

voting  down  the  name  "  Central  New  York  "  by  two  to  one,  gave  way 
to  a  reconsideration,  and  the  name  was  carried  with  the  singular  pro- 
viso "  that  this  Convention  is  not  to  be  understood  as  voting  for  or 
against  what  is  called  the  '  See  Principle.'  "  The  Bishop  announced 
his  consent,  "  recording,  nevertheless,  his  sincere  regret  that  another 
conclusion  had  not  been  reached."* 

On  the  13th  of  January,  1869,  a  Special  Convention  to  elect  a 
Bishop  met  in  S.  Paul's  Church,  Syracuse,  at  which  57  clergymen 
and  147  laymen,  representing  66  parishes,  were  present.  The  Bishop 
in  charge  gave  a  brief  Address,  from  which  I  quote  his  remarks  on 
the  action  of  the  late  Convention  on  the  name  of  the  Diocese. 

"  It  is  strongly  impressed  on  my  mind  that  Divine  Providence  has 
thus  dealt  with  us,  [in  the  declination  of  the  Bishop-elect,]  in  order 
to  suggest  the  inquiry  whether  there  may  not  have  been  something 
in  the  action  of  our  former  Council  which  it  becomes  us  to  review. 
The  general  surprise  and  disappointment  of  the  Church  has  been  so 
expressed,  as  to  deserve  to  be  felt,  with  respect  to  the  name  you  have 
fixed  upon  your  diocese.  Is  it,  indeed,  a  fixture.-'  Can  it  not  be  re- 
moved ?  Our  beautiful  geography  is  disfigured  by  a  nomenclature 
which  gives  an  air  of  buffoonery  to  our  map.  Every  reflecting  man 
must  lament  the  ignoble  taste  which  has  so  sadly  marred  the  beauty 
of  a  region  to  which  the  very  savages  gave  names  expressive  alike  of 
its  loveliness  and  of  their  own  sense  of  its  charms.  Surely,  it  might 
have  been  expected  of  a  Synod  of  the  Church,  that  when  it  had  the 
opportunity,  at  least,  to  accept  things  as  they  were,  it  would  not  have 
made  them  worse.  I  grieve  to  say  that  this  diocese  has  given  itself 
the  very  worst  name  to  be  found  in  our  Church  records. 

"  But  that  is  not  all.  In  choosing  a  name  of  awkward  and  un- 
couth device,  you  deliberately  forfeited  one  of  the  most  liberal  pro- 
posals that  could  have  dignified  your  beginnings  as  a  diocese.  .  .  . 
Was  it  worthy  of  practical  men  to  reject  an  offer  of  $20,000  coupled 
with  no  unworthy  conditions,  when  no  other  city  of  the  diocese  was 
prepared  to  make  a  similar  tender  .''t  Is  it  possible  that  any  feeling  of 


*  Joum.  C.  N.  Y.  Primary  Convention,  pp.  28-33.  Gosp,  Mess.  XLII.  187. 
In  the  course  of  the  debate  it  was  asked,  "What  if  the  Bishop  should  refuse  his 
consent?"  and  answered  that  "he  must  consent  I"  The  vote  adopting  the  name 
was  not  by  Orders. 

t  At  a  meeting  of  the  Churchmen  of  Utica,  Nov.  2,  (in  which  Drs.  Coventry 
and  Watson,  Judge  Hunt,  Messrs.  Graham,  Benedict,  and  Jackson  are  mentioned 
as  takmg  part,)  "  the  Clergy  of  the  city  reported  the  state  of  this  question  [the 
Episcopal  residence]  in  the  Diocese."  A  committee  of  one  layman  from  each 
parish  was  appointed  to  procure  subscriptions  "  with  a  view  to  secure  the  Episco- 


Central  Nkw  York  289 

worldly  rivalry,  such  as  is  inseparable  from  our  civil  conventions,  was 
allowed  to  intrude  into  the  sacred  precincts  of  Church  legislation  ?  I 
trust  not.  This  has  been  suggested  as  an  apology.  I  will  not  per- 
mit myself  to  credit  what  would  be  a  gross  aggravation.  On  the 
contrary,  I  am  compelled  to  believe  that  this  mistake,  for  so  I  must 
call  it.  was  occasioned  by  some  doubts  as  to  the  See-system  itself — a 
system  on  which  I  have  ever  spoken  so  freely  that  my  opinions  are 
well  known  and  cannot  be  doubted.  I  could  wish  that,  in  parting 
with  a  portion  of  my  diocese,  from  which  I  have  never  received,  in 
any  other  form,  less  of  respect  than  I  covet,  some  deference  had  been 
shown  to  the  opinions  of  a  Bishop  who  is  not  conscious  of  any  dispo- 
sition to  extremes,  and  who  has  demonstrated  in  a  published  sermon 
the  Scriptural  and  Primitive  character  of  that  system. 

"  These  remarks  are  not  dictated  by  any  other  feeling,  however, 
than  that  of  extreme  disappointment.  Do  not  imagine  that  a  single 
corporate  act  of  this  kind  has  been  allowed  to  efface  the  recollection 
of  the  thousand  personal  kindnesses  which  I  have  received  from  the 
Clergy  and  Laity  of  this  Diocese.  To  the  Churchmen  of  this  city, 
more  especially,  my  warm  acknowledgments  are  due  for  the  courtesy 
and  affection  with  which  they  coupled  their  offer  of  a  See-house  with 
the  expression  of  a  desire  that  I  might  continue  to  be  their  Bishop  and 
live  to  enjoy  therein  the  benefit  of  their  munificence.  I  ask  once 
more,  my  beloved  brethren,  is  there  not  something  to  be  reviewed  in 
the  action  of  your  Primary  Convention  ?  Putting  this  inquiry  upon 
record,  however,  I  have  discharged  my  own  duty,  and  there  I  leave 
the  matter,  with  little  doubt  of  your  ultimate  conclusions." 

Of  this  address  no  notice  was  taken  by  the  Convention.*  A  com- 
munication on  "  the  See  Principle  "  appears  in  the  Gospel  Messenger 
a  month  later,  in  which  the  opposition  of  the  Laity  is  asserted  to  be 
on  the  ground  that  around  a  "  cathedral  "  will  cluster  "  clergy  and 
seats  of  learning,  and  from  thence  will  proceed  benevolent  institutions 
and  charities,  etc.,  etc.  This  is  Just  one  of  the  things  the  laity  object 
to.''  Such  things  "asagrand  and  expensive  cathedral,  and  its  cluster- 
ings of  chapter-houses  and  Deans  and  Canons  and  Prebendaries,  as 
too  expensive  a  luxury  for  our  wealth  and  the  wants  of  our  country, 
as  tending  to  Ritualism,  and  to  Rome,  and  to  Sacerdotalism."  And 
so  on.t 


pal  residence  "  in  Utica,  and  to  report  a  week  later.  But  I  find  no  mention  of 
any  report.     {Gosp.  Mess.  XLIL  17S.) 

*  It  is  printed,  howe%er,  in  the  Journal,  p.  10. 

t  I  need  hardly  say  that  I  do  not  give  this  article  as  expressing  the  views  of 
the  laity  of  Central  New  York  generally.  It  was  written  by  a  delegate  from 
Grace  Church,  Utica. 


290  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Another  spirited  but  fruitless  effort  was  made  to  elect  Dr.  Van 
Deusen  as  Bishop ;  and  on  the  third  ballot  the  Rev.  Dr.  F.  D. 
Huntington  was  chosen  by  31  out  of  55  of  the  Clergy  and  48  parishes 
out  of  63.  In  accepting  the  election,  he  fixed  his  residence  at 
Syracuse,  which  thus  got  the  See,  but  not  the  name,  nor  the 
See  House.  He  was  consecrated  April  8,  1869,  in  his  own 
parish  church,  Emmanuel,  Boston,  Bishop  Coxe  not  only  taking  part 
but  preaching  the  sermon,  one  of  great  power  and  eloquence,  on 
"  the  Messengers  of  the  Churches  and  the  Glory  of  Christ  "  (2  Cor. 
VIII.  23).     It  is  published  in  the  Messenger  of  April  22,  1869. 


CHAPTER    XLII 

THE  CATHEDRAL— LAYMEN 

■Izg!l|N  his  Address  of  1866  the  Bishop  says  that  he  had 
accepted  an  ofTer  from  the  Rector  and  Vestry  of  S. 
Paul's  Church,  Buffalo,  "  to  adopt  their  Parish  Church 
as  a  temporary  Cathedral."  He  hopes  that  this  may 
be  an  important  step  towards  the  development  of  a  See 
Episcopate,  "  if  only  an  efficient  Cathedral  System  can  be  set  on  foot, 
and  worked  actively.  For  this,  time  and  experience  will  be  neces- 
sary. Around  such  a  cathedral  should  be  grouped  institutions  of 
mercy  and  of  education."  It  need  hardly  be  said  now  that  the 
Bishop's  expectations  were  not  realized  in  the  least,  and  that  the 
offer  and  its  acceptance  served  only  in  the  end  to  defeat  the  object 
which  he  had  so  much  at  heart.  He  had  already,  in  his  sermon  at 
Pittsburgh  (Ch.XXXVHL  p.  261  above),  set  forth  very  plainly  his  idea 
of  what  a  cathedral  should  be.  There  was  nothing  and  could  be  noth- 
ing like  it  in  a  parish  church  of  which  he  had  no  control  whatever  (nor 
even  the  right  of  officiating  except  when  it  was  not  needed  for  paro- 
chial use),*  whose  pews  were  as  nearly  private  property  as  pews  can 
be  under  the  laws  of  New  York,  which  had  then  and  long  after 
neither  daily  service  nor  weekly  Eucharist.  I  believe  this  "pro- 
cathedral"  arrangement  was  the  greatest  mistake  of  Bishop  Coxe's 
Episcopate,  and  such  was  certainly  the  feeling  of  many  Churchmen  of 
Buffalo  and  elsewhere  in  the  Diocese,  then  and  in  later  years.  The 
Buffalo  papers  of  April  of  that  year  "  hear  on  all  sides  an  earnest 
desire  expressed  for  the  erection  of  a  Cathedral  for  the  Diocese." 
Of  course  they  go  on  to  say  that  "  it  must  be  an  edifice  of  command- 

*  Evans- Bartlett  History  of  S.  Paul's  Church,  Buffalo,  p.  102.  "  The  Vestry  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  propose  apian  to  carry  out  the  design  of  making  S.  Paul's 
Church  at  the  same  time  a  parish  church  and  the  Cathedral  Church  of  the  Diocese." 
.  .  .  This  Committee  never  having  reported,  the  matter  was  brought  up  again 
on  the  election  of  Bishop  Walker,  and  the  Rector  and  Wardens  were  app'  inted  a 
Committee  to  confer  with  the  Bishop,  if  he  should  so  desire.  No  further  action 
appears  to  have  been  taken  up  to  April  16,  1903.  (Id.  pp.  214-62.)  The  pews  of 
S.  Paul's,  it  should  be  said,  are  no  longer  private  property  since  the  restoration 
of  the  church  in  1889,  and  there  is  now  daily  service  and  weekly  Eucharist. 


292  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

ing  proportions,  and  imposing  architectural  beauty,  a  structure  of  vast 
extent,  capable  of  holding  thousands  of  worshippers,"  all  which  had 
nothing  to  do  with  any  present  expectation  or  desire  of  the  Bishop  or 
of  those  most  deeply  interested  in  the  matter.  But  I  have  been 
repeatedly  assured  by  those  who  must  have  known,  that  abundant 
offerings  for  the  beginning  of  a  Cathedral  would  have  been  made  at 
once  when  the  Bishop  should  call  for  them.  Meantime  he  rc^i- offered 
(in  substance  if  not  in  form)  the  absolute  control  of  a  free  church,  in 
a  well-situated  temporary  building  seating  six  hundred,  with  a  con- 
siderable congregation  already  gathered,  daily  service  and  weekly 
Communion  established, — a  church  which  under  his  leadership  might 
have  been  indeed  "  the  development  of  a  See  Episcopate"  and  a  real 
Cathedral.  Why  the  Bishop  lost  this  and  all  opportunity  of  carrying 
out  his  cherished  ideals  will  perhaps  remain  an  unsolved  mystery. 
Certainly  it  was  from  no  loss  of  interest  in  the  subject,  to  which  he 
repeatedly  called  the  attention  of  the  Diocese  in  later  years.  In  1879 
he  asks  the  approval  of  the  Council  to  a  movement  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  a  Cathedral  Chapter,  which  was  duly  given,  and  the  Chapter 
incorporated  in  1880  by  an  Act  similar  to  those  for  the  Dioceses  of 
Long  Island  and  Albany,  providing  for  Trvistees  to  be  continued 
under  a  Constitution  adopted  by  them  with  the  approval  of  the  Bishop 
and  the  Council  ;  for  seats  in  the  Cathedral  to  be  always  free  ;  and 
empowering  any  parish  of  the  Diocese  to  transfer  its  property  to  the 
Chapter  for  a  Cathedral.  The  Bishop  also  proposed  to  convey  to  the 
Chapter,  for  the  Diocese,  his  own  library.*  In  1882  he  reminds  the 
Council  that  the  Cathedral  Chapter  can  receive  ' '  gifts  and  bequests 
for  the  establishment  of  a  true  Cathedral." 

"  I  have  never  wished,"  he  says,  "  to  hurry  forward  the  design  of 
such  a  foundation,  but  it  is  taking  root,  and  by  God's  blessing  it  will 
find  a  fitting  shape  at  no  very  distant  day.  For  the  parade  and  titu- 
lar dignities  of  a  Cathedral  I  care  very  little.  I  think  the  American 
Cathedral  must  be  a  growth,  and  must  embody  practical  ideas  suited 
to  our  age  and  circumstances.  If  I  could  make  a  beginning,  I  would 
secure  a  place,  however  humble,  for  the  daily  service,  and  for  the 
weekly  Eucharist.  It  should  be  always  kept  open  as  a  retreat  for 
private  devotions,  and  on  Sundays  it  should  provide  a  succession  of 
services  from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  nine  at  night.      It  should 


*  Joum.  1879,  pp.  25,  54,  66;    18S0,  p.  23.      The  Act  of  Incorporation  is  given 
in  full  in  Const,  and  Canons  of  W.  N.  Y.,  1896,  p.  loi. 


>»I  -;■       Vil' 


A  Cathedral  LiimARY  293 

be  the  seat  of  city  missions,  and  a  spiritual  home  for  the  poor.  In 
Advent  and  Lent,  the  best  preachers  of  the  Diocese  should  be  called, 
in  turn,  to  maintain  courses  of  sermons,  and  to  aid  the  IJishop  in 
popular  instructions  which  should  be  kept  up  almost  every  evening. 
In  due  time,  a  staff  of  city  missionaries  should  be  supplied  for  the 
poor,  who  should  teach  and  minister  from  house  to  house.  I  would 
have  choral  services — not  forced  on  the  unwilling  ear,  but  provided 
for  those  who  are  edified  by  the  solemn  music  of  the  Church,  and  so 
I  would  banish  the  ditty-music  that  now  captivates  the  popular  ear, 
and  train  the  mind  and  heart  and  taste  of  our  people  to  the  highest 
examples  of  our  Mother  Church,  which  possesses  the  richest  store  of 
services  and  anthems  strictly  ecclesiastical  to  be  found  in  Christen- 
dom." 

"  To  the  Cathedral  corporation  has  been  made  over,  in  trust,  the 
property  known  as  the  '  See  House.'  Also,  I  have  transferred  to  it, 
in  trust,  the  Startin  Fund  ;  and  also  $1,000  left  me,  with  discretion- 
ary powers, by  the  late  Judge  Tracy.  This  last  will  be  made  the  base  for 
a  fund,  the  interest  of  which  will  be  devoted  by  the  Bishop  to  the  per- 
petual increase  and  repair  of  the  Cathedral  Library,  already  known  as 
'  the  Episcopal  Library. '  This  will  be  entrusted  to  the  Cathedral 
corporation,  under  the  authority  of  my  successors  in  office,  who  may 
reside  in  Buffalo.  I  shall  make  it  a  memorial  of  my  obligations  to 
that  city,  and  to  one  of  its  most  estimable  citizens.  I  respectfully 
solicit  gifts  and  bequests  of  books  for  the  increase  of  this  Library, 
with  the  understanding  that  all  books  contributed  from  Rochester  and 
its  vicinity  shall  be  returned  to  that  city,  for  the  use  of  the  Bishop 
and  his  Clergy,  whenever  it  becomes  a  See  City." 

In  the  same  Address  the  Bishop  acknowledges  thankfully  the  pro- 
vision in  the  building  and  endowment  of  S.  Andrew's  Church, 
Rochester,  (by  Mr.  William  B.  Douglas,)  "that  it  may  be  claimed 
for  a  Cathedral,  if  ever  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  in  which  it  is  situ- 
ated should  need  it  for  such  a  purpose"  ;  so  that  "  it  may  be  turned 
to  good  account  in  case  of  the  erection  of  the  Diocese  of  Rochester, 
which  is  sure  to  come  about  before  long."* 

In  1883  the  Bishop  acknowledges  various  gifts  to  "  the  Episcopal 
or  Cathedral  Library,"  and  much  work  done  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Van 
Dyck  in  "  sifting  and  sorting"  his  store  of  periodicals  and  pamphlets 
for  the  same. t  In  1887  he  "has  good  hopes  of  seeing  soon  an 
efficient  force  of  missionaries  for  city  work  daily  employed"  in  the 
"  nominal  Cathedral  provided  by  the  Rector  and  Vestry  of  S.  Paul's," 


*  Joum.  1S82,  p.  42. 
t  Id.  1S83,  p.  63. 


294  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

and  that  this  may  "  awaken  such  an  interest  among  the  Laity  as  must 
sooner  or  later  secure  a  corresponding  realization  of  architectural  and 
ritual  dignity."  He  asks  for  bequests  and  endowments,  "  that  the 
noblest  memorials  of  the  faithful  departed  may  be  erected  in  every 
column  and  buttress  and  window  of  a  Cathedral."*  A  committee  on 
this  Address  reported  in  1888  suggesting  the  immediate  calling 
together  of  the  Cathedral  Chapter  (which  had  met  only  three  times  in 
eight  years,  and  taken  no  action  except  to  receive  the  transfer  of  the  See 
House  from  its  surviving  Trustee),  "for  the  drafting  of  a  Constitu- 
tion and  By-Laws,  and  the  election  of  officers  for  the  control  and 
direction  of  all  missionary  work  in  the  See  City,  and  its  centraliza- 
tion under  the  chief  Pastor."  They  also  state  that  the  title-deeds 
of  five  mission  churches  are  awaiting  transfer  to  the  Chapter. f 

This  is  the  last  allusion  to  a  cathedral  which  appears  in  the  Journal 
during  the  Episcopate  of  Bishop  Coxe.  By  his  Will  of  May  10,  1888, 
he  requests  his  wife,  to  whom  all  his  property  is  bequeathed,  to  trans- 
fer his  "  library  and  books  of  every  sort,"  except  that  known  as 
"  our  family  library,"  to  the  Chancellor  of  the  Diocese,  in  trust  for 
the  Cathedral  Chapter.  $ 

I  have  quoted  thus  fully  the  Bishop's  own  words  to  his  Diocese,  as 
showing  beyond  all  question  what  were  his  wishes,  intentions  and 
plans  in  regard  to  the  See  Episcopate  and  the  Cathedral  System,  till 
within  a  few  years  of  his  decease.  One  can  only  ask  again  and  in 
vain  why  they  all  bore  no  fruit  in  his  lifetime. 

From  the  Cathedral  I  should  pass  on  to  the  efforts  of  the  Bishop  in 
behalf  of  Christian  education  in  those  last  years  of  the  old  Diocese. 
But  that  work,  especially  in  regard  to  the  College,  extended  into  later 
years,  and  may  be  better  noticed  then. 

I  have  thus  finished  the  story  of  the  old  Diocese  of  Western  New 
York,  errors  (of  which  I  hope  there  are  few)  and  omissions  (of  which 
I  fear  there  are  many)  excepted.  I  wished  to  add  to  this  Part  some 
mention  of  the  Laymen  of  Bishop  De  Lancey's  day  whom  I  knew  per- 
sonally, for  the  most  part,  as  earnest  and  faithful  Churchmen,  who 
not  only  "  seemed  to  be  "  but  were  "  pillars  "  in  their  day  and  place, 


*  Joum.  18S7,  p.  56. 

t  Joum.  1888,  p.  35. 
C  \  The  Will  is  given  in  full  in  "  Memorials  of  American  Bishops"  in  the  Library 
of  the  De  Lancey  Divinity  School. 


Laymen  295 

though  with  great  differences,  perhaps,  in  social  and  intellectual  stand- 
ing. But  the  list  extends  to  such  a  length  that  I  cannot  give  even  an 
approach  to  a  catalogue  raisonne  of  those  men.  To  those  who  knew 
anything  of  them,  and  in  many  cases  to  their  descendants,  the  follow- 
ing list  of  names  will  tell  its  own  story  ;  to  others  I  can  only  plead  that 
they  must  not  be  left  out  of  such  a  record  of  personal  recollections. 
1  give  only  those  who  have  not  been  incidentally  mentioned  already, 
and  who  belong  to  the  years  before  1865.* 

Beginning  where  the  Church  was  first  planted,  on  the  eastern  bor- 
der, there  were 

Of  Utica:  Col.  John  E.  Hinman,  James  Watson  Williams,  Isaiah  Tiffany, 
Rutger  B.  Miller,  Horatio  Seymour,  Ziba  and  Philemon  Lyon,  David  Wager, 
Thomas  Hopper,  Thomas  H.  Hubbard,  Edmund  A.  CJraham,  Charles  S.  Wilson, 
John  J.  Francis,  George  R.  Perkins,  Augustus  A.  Boyce,  Augustine  G.  Uauby, 
Daniel  G.  Thomas,  Truman  K.  Butler. 

Of  Camden  :     Artemas  Trowbridge. 

Of  Holland  Patent :  Pascal  C.  J.  and  William  W.  De  Angelis,  Samuel  Allen, 
D.  Ward  Clark,  Jarvis  Brewster,  J.  Henry  Wetmore. 

Of  New  Hartford  :  Zedekiah  Sanger,  Moses  T.  Eggleston,  Spencer  S.  Eames, 
John  K.  Adams,  Morgan  Butler,  James  Cunningham. 

Of  Oriskany  :     Timothy  Babcock.t 

Of  Rome  :     Jay  Hathaway,  George  R.  Thomas,  G.  N.  Bissell. 

Of  Waterville :     William  and  Amos  O.  Osborne,  John  A.  Berrill. 

Of  Whitestown :     S.  Newton  and  Andrew  Dexter,  Philo  White. 

Of  Hamilton  :     Charles  Mason,  Erastus  Pearl,  Nelson  Fairchild. 

Of  Cazenovia  :     Charles  Stebbins. 

Of  New  Berlin  :     Horace  O.  Moss. 

Of  Oxford:     Ethan  and  John  R.  Clarke,  Henry  W.  Mygatt. 

Of  Sherburne  :     William  Cook,  Walter  Elsbre. 

Of  Syracuse  :  Horace  and  Hamilton  White,  Amos  P.  Granger,  John  J.  Peck, 
Archibald  C.  Powell,  George  F.  Comstock,  Daniel  O.  Salmon,  George  J.  Gard- 
ner. 

Of  Fayetteville  :  John  Sprague,  Hiram  Wood,  Andrew  T.  Gilmor,  Daniel 
Burhans. 

Of  Manlius  :  Dr.  William  Taylor,  Joshua  V.  H.  Clark,  Elijah  E.May, 
Henry  C.  Van  Schaack,  Illustrious  Remington. 

Of  Jamesville  :     Thomas  Sherwood. 

Of  Jordan  :     Heni-y  Daboll. 


♦Some  of  the  most  notable  Churchmen  of  the  Diocese,  therefore,  are  not 
named  here.  And  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  I  have  selected  those  in  the  list 
as  specially  worthy  of  record,  more  than  many  others  not  mentioned;  only  I  hap- 
pen to  remember  these. 

t  For  many  years  a  faithful  and  well-known  agent  for  the  Messenger,  and  Church  colporteur. 


296  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Of  Oswego:     Abraham  P.  Grant,  George  C.  M'Whorter. 

Of  Pulaski:     Andrew  Z.  M'Carty. 

Of  Auburn  :     Stephen  A.  Goodwin,  John  H.  Chedell,  William  H.  Seward. 

Of  Aurora:     William  H.  Bogart,  Jonathan  Richmond. 

Of  Moravia  :     Rowland  Day. 

OfWeedsport:     H.  A.  Weed. 

Of  Waterloo:  William  V.  I.  Mercer,  Thomas  and  Levi  Fatzinger,  Sterling 
G.  Hadley,  Addison  T.  Knox. 

Of  Geneva  :  David  Hudson,  Gen.  Joseph  G.  Swift,  David  S.  Hall,  Peter  M. 
and  George  N.  Dox,  Alfred  A.  Holley,  James  Simons,  S.  Hopkins  Ver  Planck, 
Peter  Richards,  Alexander  L.  Chew,  Edgar  H.  Hurd,  Robert  C.  Nicholas,  Dr. 
Gavin  L.  Rose. 

Of  Canandaigua  :  Charles  Seymour,  William  S.  Philpot,  Henry  K.  Sanger, 
Ralph  Chapin,  Mark  H.  Sibley,  Chauncey  Morse,  Alvah  Worden,  Frederick 
Bunnell,  Orson  Benjamin,  Henry  Howard,  John  S.  Bates,  Edward  G.  Marshall, 
Charles  B.  Meek,  Ebenezer  Hale,  William  G.  Lapham,  Charles  E.  Shepard. 

Of  Lyons  :      (See  above,  p.  143.) 

Of  Palmyra  :     George  W.  Cuyler,  Truman  Heminway,  Martin  Butterfield. 

Of  Sodus  :     Oren  Gay  lord,  William  S-  Hay  ward. 

Of  Clyde  :     William  S.  Stow,  J.  C.  Atkins,  Charles  Rose. 

Of  Newark  :     Fletcher  Williams,  Joel  H.  Prescott. 

Of  Bradford  :     Edgar  and  Jesse  Munson. 

Of  Bath:     B.  F.  Young,  Henry  Brother,  William  H.  Bull. 

Of  Corning :     Thomas  A.  Johnson,  Nelson  L.  Somers,    Seymour  F.    Denton. 

Of  Hammondsport  :     Delos  Rose. 

Of  Hornellsville  :     Martin  Adsit. 

Of  Catharine  :     Heber  Pnnce. 

Of  Watkins :     Daniel  Beach,  Josiah  Davis,  James  MacDonald. 

Of  Montour  Falls  :     Constant  and  Charles  Cook. 

Of  Branchport :     John  N.  and  Henry  Rose. 

Of  Rochester:  Henry  E.  and  Nathaniel  T.  Rochester,  Thomas  C.  Montgom- 
ery, Silas  O.  Smith,  Edward  Meigs  Smith,  Dellon  M.  Dewey,  George  H.  Mum- 
ford,  William  Pitkin,  Vincent  Matthews,  Samuel  G.  Andrews,  Daniel  B.  Beach, 
Andrew  J.  Brackett,  Delos  Wentworth,  George  Arnold,  Samuel  F.  Witherspoon, 
Seth  C.  Jones,  Alfred  Ely. 

Of  Pittsford  :     Abraham  Vought. 

Of  Honeoye  Falls  :     George  B.  M' Bride,  Simon  Oley. 

Of  Brockport  :     Daniel  Holmes. 

Of  Geneseo  :     Allen  Ayrault,  Samuel  Lewis. 

Of  Mount  Morris:     John  R.  Murray,  Charles  H.  Carroll,  Walker  M.  Hinman. 

Of  Batavia :  David  E.  Evans,  Trumbull  Gary,  P.  L.  Tracy,  William  A. 
Seaver,  Benjamin  Pringle,  Heman  J.  Redfield,  Gad  B.  Worthington,  Junius  A. 
Smith,  D.  W.  Tomlinson. 

Of  Le  Roy:     Elisha  Stanley,  Joshua  Lathrop,  D.  R.  Bacon. 

Of  Stafford  :     Richard  Radley. 


Laymen  297 

Of  Canaseraga  :     William  M.  White. 

Of  Angelica:     Philip  Church. 

Of  Wethersfield  Springs  :     Ornuis  and  Reuben  Doolittle. 

Of  Dunkirk  :     Truman  Coleman. 

Of  Fredonia  :     Jonathan  Sprague,  George  IJarker,  Elijah  and  William  Risley. 

Of  Jamestown  :      Robert  I.  Baker. 

Of  Westfield  :     Alpheus  Baldwin,  Daniel  Rockwell,  Cieorge  P.  V'ork. 

Of  Lockport :  Nathan  Dayton,  Henry  B.  Walbridge,  Washington  Hunt, 
Henry  and  Charles  Keep,  George  II.  Boughton,  Sullivan  Cavemo,  P.  B.  Peck- 
ham,  Peter  D.  Walter,  John  H.  Buck. 

Of  Albion :     Zcphaniah  Clark,  Sanford  E.  Church. 

Of  Tonawanda  :  G.  W.   Sherman. 

Of  Niagara  Falls  :  Peter  A.  Porter,  George  W.  llolley,  Stoughton  Pettibone, 
Daniel  J.  Townsend. 

Of  ButTalo  :  George  B.  Webster,  Russell  II.  Ileywood,  William  A.  Bird, 
Edward  S.  Warren,  John  S.  (Sanson,  Jacob  A.  Barker,  Jerry  Radcliffe,  Henry 
Daw,  Elijah  Ford,  DeWitt  C.  Weed,  Charles  W.  Evans,  James  M.  Smith, 
James  P.  White,  Julius  Movius,  John  L.  Kimberly,  George  E.  Hayes,  Milton 
Wilder,  Henry  F.  Penfield,  Samuel  G.  Cornell,  William  H.  Walker,  Elam  R. 
Jewett,  Asher  P.  Nichols. 

Not  a  few  of  these  were,  by  individual  munificence,  founders  of 
parishes  and  builders  of  churches.  Others  gave  themselves,  devot- 
edly and  unsparingly,  to  the  work  of  lay-readers  and  (in  their  way) 
Evangelists,  with  absolute  loyalty  to  the  teaching  and  discipline  of 
the  Church.  Many  another  was  the  unfailing  comfort  and  "  right 
hand  "  of  his  Pastor  through  all  the  sunshine  and  shadow  of  parish 
life.  Of  almost  all,  and  of  hundreds  more  who  laboured  and 
prayed  with  them,  it  may  be  truly  said  that  they  were  faithful  in  their 
day  and  generation.* 

I  wish  I  could  add  the  names  of  even  a  few  of  the  noble  Church- 
women  of  the  Diocese  in  Bishop  De  Lancey's  day,  whose  work  is  not 
mentioned  elsewhere  ;  but  that  is  out  of  the  question. 

•  Seven  or  eight  out  of  the  two  hundred  and  forty  are  still  living. 


PART  FOURTH 


THE  PRESENT  DIOCESE 

CHAPTER  XLIII 

DIOCESAN  WORK,    1869-79 

HE  story  of  the  remaining  years  of  Bishop  Coxe's  Epis- 
copate must  be  comparatively  brief,  and,  I  fear,  unsat- 
isfactory ;  partly  because  this  book,  outline  as  it  is, 
has  already  grown  to  larger  dimensions  than  I  intended  ; 
partly  because  this  part  of  it  is  contemporary  history, 
many  of  whose  actors  are  living,  and  some  of  them  more  capable  than  I 
of  writing  it  ;  and  partly  because  I  was  absent  from  the  Diocese  for 
twelve  years  from  1868,  in  charge  of  the  Cathedral  of  Portland, 
Maine,  and  so  knew  little  personally  of  its  affairs. 

The  setting  off  of  the  new  Diocese  left  Western  New  York  with 
87  Priests  and  11  Deacons,  8  Candidates  for  Orders,  86  Parishes  and 
9  (unorganized)  Missions,  16  of  which  had  no  churches,  and 
about  9,600  Communicants.*  It  reported  offerings  for  the  year  1868- 
9  amounting  to  $236,585.79,  of  which  $23,185.35  was  for  Diocesan 
and  $7,398.81  for  general  objects.  The  Bishop  had  made  133  visi- 
tations during  the  year,  and  confirmed  1,076  persons  in  85  parishes 
and  missions,  thus  covering  nearly  the  whole  Diocese.  The  Episco- 
pate Fund  was  reduced  to  $27,200  ;  the  "  De  Lancey  Fund  "  to  $2,- 
500,  the  Permanent  Missionary  Fund  to  $11,127  !  the  Divinity  School 
Fund  remained  at  $17,465,  besides  two  scholarships  for  students 
of  $2,000  each.f  Again  the  Bishop,  in  his  Address  of  1869,  pleads 
most  earnestly  for  the  support  and  enlargement  of  the  Church  Schools 
of  the  Diocese,  and  the  founding  of  new  ones.  "  The  Heathcote 
School  in  Buffalo,"  he  says,  "has  entered  on  a  new  and  enlarged 
career  ;  a  number  of  zealous  men  have  purchased  a  proper  house  for 


*  Estimating  for  a  few  not  reported  in  the  Journal  of  1869. 

t  For  all  these  statistics  see  the  appendices  to  the  Journal  of  1869. 


HoBART  College  from  1869  299 

it,  and  purpose  to  obtain  an  act  of  incorporation,  and  make  it  a  per- 
petual blessing  to  our  J^ee  city."  The  enlarged  plans  of  De  Veaux 
College  have  been  blessed  with  complete  success.  The  "  Jane  Grey 
School  "  at  Mount  Morris  is  in  a  very  prosperous  condition,  but 
ought  to  be  enlarged  and  well  endowed.  The  Cary  School  is  revived 
and  prospering,  and  admits  girls  as  day-pupils,  an  experiment  which 
the  Bishop  regards  with  evident  (but  not  unhopeful  1  anxiety.  He 
asks  for  a  foundation  on  which  he  may  place  orphan  girls  and  the 
daughters  of  the  clergy,  for  free  education,  and  which  can  take  other 
girls  at  a  "  reasonable  compensation  ;"  for  means  to  show  what  he 
would  do  "  for  the  liberal  education  of  that  sex,  which  the  theorists 
of  our  age  are  trying  to  degrade  to  the  low  level  of  men  citizens  ; 
from  which  they  would  remove  the  glory  and  crown  of  womanhood." 
It  is  sad  to  think  how  little — if  anything — has  ever  been  done  in  the 
Diocese  in  response  to  the  Bishop's  earnest  words,  and  how  little 
remains  now  even  of  the  work  of  Christian  training  which  was  going 
on  then. 

Hobart  College  had  lost  its  brilliant — but,  as  it  proved,  unbalanced 
— young  President*  before  he  had  fairly  begun  his  work,  and  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Rankine  had  reluctantly  given  up  the  charge  of  the  Train- 
ing School  to  fill  this  more  important  place,  which  he  did,  and  most 
efiiciently,  for  two  years  only,  then  returning  to  his  former  duty.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Maunsell  Van  Rensselaer  (187 1-6),  Dr.  (after- 
wards Bishop)  William  Stevens  Perry  (for  six  months  only,  1876), 
and  Dr.  Robert  Graham  Hinsdale  (1876-83),  each  of  whom  did  a 
good  work  for  the  College  in  his  time  ;  under  the  latter  especially 
there  was  a  notable  advance  in  scholarship  and  discipline.  The  Bish- 
op says  in  his  Address  of  1870  that  "  it  remains,  as  heretofore,  the 
all-important  and  common  concern  of  every  man,  woman  and  child  in 
the  Diocese  ;  there  is  no  interest  of  the  Church  in  Western  New  York 
that  must  not  suffer  if  it  languishes  ;  life  and  vigour  and  general 
improvement  will  be  the  result  of  its  competent  endowment  and  sup- 
port." At  his  suggestion  the  Bishops  of  Western  and  Central  New 
York  and  the  President  of  the  College  had  been  made  a  Committee 
to  endeavour  to  increase  the  endowment  to  $500,000.  A  very  consid- 
erable   sum — about   $50,000,  as  nearly    as   I   can   find,   was  raised 


*  The  Rev.  James  Kent  Stone, D.D.,  elected    July  24,  1S6S,  resigned   Aug.  5, 
1869.     He  was  received  into  the  Roman  Church,  Dec.  8,  1S69. 


300  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

at  this  time,  mostly  from  Western  New  York,  and  this  effort  largely 
took  the  place  of  the  plan  proposed  for  the  increase  of  the  Episco- 
pate Fund,  so  that  in  point  of  fact  the  Bishop  sacrificed  that  interest 
of  the  Diocese  as  well  as  his  own  personal  advantage  to  what  he 
deemfed  the  more  important  needs  of  the  College.*  In  Central  New 
York,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Episcopate  Fund  was  largely  increased, 
and  but  a  small  amount,  comparatively,  given  to  the  College,  although 
Bishop  Huntington  had  made  a  strong  appeal  to  his  Diocese  in  its 
behalf  in  a  joint  letter  with  Bishop  Coxe,  in  which  it  is  urged  that 
the  College  belongs  as  much  to  the  whole  State  as  to  Western  New 
York,  and  has  also  special  claims  upon  the  Churchmen  of  Central 
New  York. 

In  the  Gospel  Messenger  of  1871  (pp.  65,  73,  93,  113)  will  be 
found  four  letters  of  great  interest  from  the  venerable  Thomas  D. 
Burrall  of  Geneva,  an  early  and  lifelong  Trustee  of  the  College,  from 
whom  I  have  given  on  p.  55  above  an  account  of  its  founding  by 
Bishop  Hobart.  In  these  letters  Mr.  Burrall  reviews  at  some  length 
the  whole  history  of  the  College  in  its  relations  to  Trinity  Church, 
New  York,  and  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Religion  and  Learn- 
ing ;  and  it  was,  apparently,  on  the  facts  there  given  that  Bishop 
Coxe  based  his  earnest  and  long-continued  appeal  to  those  Corpora- 
tions for  a  large  increase  of  the  scanty  aid  which  they  had  for  many 
years  bestowed.  In  his  Address  of  1872  he  says  that  an  important 
negotiation  with  the  S.  P.  R.  L.  in  behalf  of  the  College  is  pending, 
with  reason  to  expect  favourable  results.  In  18/3  the  Society  has 
increased  its  grant,  but  not  to  the  extent  expected.  He  is  not  with- 
out hopes  that  Trinity  Church  will  complete  her  original  purpose  of 
giving  the  income  of  $100,000,  in  place  of  the  half  of  that  sum  which 
the  necessities  of  the  College  had  compelled  Bishop  De  Lancey  to 
accept  for  the  time  being.  But  these  efforts,  protracted  through  sev- 
eral years,  all  came  to  nothing  in  the  end,  for  the  reason,  apparently, 
that  the  S.  P.  R.  L.,  under  the  leadership  of  Bishop  Horatio  Potter, 
had  practically  substituted  S.  Stephen's  College  as  its  beneficiary  for 
the  work  for  which  Hobart  had  been  founded,  and  which  up  to  this 
time  at  least  it  had  earnestly  endeavoured  to  do.  Bishop  Coxe  claimed 
that  the  Society  was  founded  for  the  Promotion  of  Religion  and  Learn- 
ing in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  that  each   Diocese  of  that  State 

*    See  statement  in  Gosp.  Mess.  XLV.  126.  (Aug.  3,  1871.) 


Thk  Memokiai.  Church  301 

had  an  equal  right  to  its  benefactions.  This  claim  the  Society  repu- 
diated, and  has  maintained  its  ground  to  this  day,  whether  rightly  or 
wrongly  I  am  in  no  position  to  determine  ;  but,  so  far  as  I  have  been 
able  to  find,  its  managers  have  never  answered  in  any  way  the  state- 
ment and  argument  of  Mr.  Burrall  in  the  letters  referred  to.  In  fact, 
their  communications  to  the  Trustees  of  that  time  simply  decline  to 
discuss  the  subject  at  all.  The  College  still  receives  from  the  S.  P. 
R.  L.  5^1,200  a  year  as  the  income  of  certain  scholarships  founded  in 
its  early  years,  and  from  Trinity  Church  the  $3,000  a  year  accepted 
by  Bishop  De  Lancey  in  185 1-2.  In  the  meantime  its  endowments 
from  all  sources,  chiefly  individual  munificence,  and  including  its 
buildings,  library  and  grounds,  have  increased  to  about  $750,000,  of 
which  two-thirds  is  in  funds  producing  income.* 

The  new  Church  Home  opened  in  Rochester,  Nov.  10,  1869,  and 
built  mainly  by  two  munificent  Churchmen  of  that  city,  George  R. 
Clarke  and  George  H.  Mumford,  at  a  cost  of  $20,000,  was  a  long 
step  in  advance  in  the  Christian  work  of  the  Diocese.  But  a  more 
important  one  still  was  the  completion  and  consecration  in  May,  1870, 
of  S.  Peter's  Church,  the  memorial  of  Bishop  De  Lancey  in  Geneva, 
and  the  fruition  of  Dr.  Rankine's  patient  labours  for  five  years.  Its 
cost,  about  $40,000,  had  been  given  by  more  than  five  thousand  per- 
sons, mostly  of  the  old  Diocese  of  Western  New  York,  but  included 
some  large  gifts  from  beyond  its  borders.  Four  Bishops  (Coxe, 
Huntington,  Neely  and  Bissell)  and  fifty-seven  Priests  and  Deacons 
were  present  at  the  consecration.  Services  were  continued  for  sev- 
eral days,  and  sermons  and  addresses,  mostly  memorial,  given  by 
Bishops  Coxe  and  Bissell,  and  Drs.  Haight,  Shelton,  Bolles,  Jack- 
son, Ayrault,  Rankine  and  Van  Ingen.  The  beautiful  church,  no 
unworthy  monument  of  the  great  and  good  Bishop,  became  under  Dr. 
Rankine  the  centre  of  a  large  and  beneficent  parochial  work.  The 
noble  detached  tower  and  spire — equalled  in  architectural  effect  by  very 
few  in  this  country — with  the  chime  of  ten  bells,  were  added  some 
years  later;  in  1902,  under  the  present  Rector,  Dr.  John  Brewster 
Hubbs,  a  Parish  House  was  built  and  endowed  in  memory  of  Dr. 
Rankine  by  his  family,  at  a  cost  of  $30,000,  and  a  Rectory  will  in 

*  A  brief  statement  of  the  claim  of  the  Diocese  and  the  College  on  the  S.  P. 
R.  L.  will  be  found  in  the  Report  of  the  Committee  of  the  Council  of  1S70  (Drs. 
Van  Rensselaer  and  i'erry,  and  Judge  Johnson)  in  the  Journal,  p.  64. 


302  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

due  time  complete  the  group  of  buildings.  By  the  conditions  of  its 
erection  the  church  is  perpetually  free,  and  the  property  of  the 
Diocese. 

The  system  of  Diocesan  Missions  built  up  with  such  pains  by 
Bishop  De  Lancey  through  thirty  years,  called  now  (1869)  for  new 
efforts  to  maintain  and  enlarge  its  work.  Of  the  86  organized  Par- 
ishes in  the  Diocese,  36  were  in  charge  of  clergymen  receiving  mission- 
ary stipends.  The  offerings  for  this  purpose  in  the  first  year  after  the 
division  amounted  to  $3,625.86,  to  which  the  remaining  half  of  the 
Permanent  Missionary  Fund  added  $666.77.  Ten  years  earlier,  the 
old  diocese,  with  only  a  thousand  more  communicants,  had  given 
$6,375.85.  There  was  an  evident  decline  in  interest  in  the  work,  due 
in  part,  no  doubt,  to  what  might  be  called  a  want  of  elasticity  in  the 
adjustment  of  its  details.  Every  missionary  parish  which  had  the.  full 
services  of  a  clergyman  received,  for  him,  $125.00  a  year  ;  if  it  had 
half  his  duXy,  $62.50;  no  more,  no  less.  This  inflexible  rule  had 
been  in  force  from  Bishop  Hobart's  time  (see  p.  59  supra).,  and  it  was 
the  one  great  mistake  of  Bishop  De  Lancey 's  Episcopate,  as  it  seems 
to  me,  that  it  remained  unchanged.  In  his  last  years  his  earnest  Pas- 
torals in  behalf  of  Diocesan  Missions  were  read  in  the  churches,  but 
not  enforced  by  the  clergy  nor  answered  by  the  people  in  any  large 
proportion,  and,  in  some  cases,  avowedly  for  that  reason.* 

In  1869  Bishop  Coxe  suggested  two  important  changes,  the  crea- 
tion of  a  Missionary  Board  distinct  from  the  Standing  Committee,  and 
the  adoption  of  a  "  pledge  ' '  system  for  diocesan  missionary  offer- 
ings. Both  of  these  were  adopted  the  next  year,  (as  they  had  been 
already  in  Central  New  York,)  and  resulted  in  a  great  increase  of 
interest  as  shown  by  the  contributions  reported  in  1871,  $6,243,  ^ 
gain  of  over  70  per  cent.  One  obvious  advantage  was  that  the  new 
Missionary  Board  (of  eight  clergymen  and  eight  laymen),  represented 
all  parts  of  the  Diocese,  instead  of  being,  like  the  Standing  Commit- 
tee, mostly  in  Buffalo.  They  "  substitute  for  the  old  plan  of  a  uni- 
form stipend,  a  special  consideration  and  specific  appropriation 
for  the  individual  field,"  and  suggest  giving  extraordinary  aid  where 
a  church  is  building.  In  1871  they  report  the  offerings  as  $6,243  !  i"^ 
1872,  $6,058  ;  in  1873,  $5,403  ;  in    1874,  $5,624  ;  in    1875,  $5,277  ; 

*  As  Bishop  Neely,  when  Rector  of  Christ  Church,  Rochester,  had  the  bold- 
ness to  say  to  Bishop  De  Lancey  himself. 


Missionary  Plans,  1869-79  303 

in  1S76,  55,894  ;  the  last  three  years  showing  a  loss  of  ^909,  or 
about  ;?3oo  a  year.  The  Missionaries  of  1876  are  30  instead  of  23 
in  1870,  the  stations  48  instead  of  36.  At  this  time  the  Missionary 
Board  modified  their  working  plan  materially,  by  asking  the  Mission- 
ary Parishes  to  give  r?// their  offerings  for  clerical  support  directly  to 
the  Board,  receiving  them  back  with  the  addition  of  the  stipend  ;  in 
other  words  the  Diocese,  as  represented  by  the  Board,  undertook  the 
whole  support  of  the  Parish  Priest,  receiving  towards  that  object  its 
whole  income  aside  from  contingent  expenses.  The  plan  was  cer- 
tainly based  on  sound  principles,  and  in  their  next  year's  Report 
(1877)  the  Board  say  that  "  its  practical  working  has  demonstrated 
its  value  and  efficiency;  the  engagements  of  the  Parishes,  with  few 
exceptions,  have  been  fully  met,  and  the  missionary  clergy  have  been 
regularly  and  promptly  paid."*  The  stations  however  are  reduced  to 
26,  and  the  Missionaries  to  22,  and  there  is  a  falling  off  of  one-third 
in  the  offerings  from  self-supporting  parishes.  The  next  year  they  are 
$400  less,  and  "  it  is  painfully  evident  that  a  continued  lack  of  inter- 
est in  the  missionary  work  obtains  among  many  of  the  clergy  and 
laily."t  In  1879  they  report  only  nine  Missionaries  continuing  in 
service,  as  they  cannot  fill  vacancies  "  in  view  of  a  continually  over- 
drawn treasury,"  and  think  that  "  new  plans  and  methods  are  de- 
manded to  secure  increased  efficiency  and  general  interest."  They 
therefore  recommend  the  system  of  Rural  Deaneries  adopted  with 
good  results  in  Central  New  York.  A  special  Committee  of  the 
Council,  of  which  the  Rev.  John  G.  Webster  was  chairman,  reported 
that  this  plan  would  meet  the  wishes  of  a  large  portion  of  the  Diocese, 
and  after  an  earnest  debate  occupying  most  of  the  day's  session,  a 
Canon  embodying  it  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  36  to  4  of  the  clergy 
and  24  to  10  of  the  Parishes. f 

By  this  plan  the  Diocese  was  divided  into  the  Deaneries  of  Buffalo, 
Lockport,  Batavia,  Rochester  and  Geneva,  each  one  averaging  three 
counties,  and  in  each  a  Convocation  of  the  resident  clergy  and  one 
layman  from  each  parish,  with  a  Dean  appointed  by  the  Bishop  on 
the  nomination  of  the  Convocation,  and  a  Secretary.  The  Bishop, 
the  Deans,  and  a  layman  from  each  Convocation,  constituted  the 
Diocesan  Missionary  Board,  which  was  to  assess  each   Deanery  for 

*  Joum.  1877,  p.  98.     t  Id.  187S,  p.  69. 

t  Joum.  1S79,  pp.  35-9,  92  ;  Onr  Church  Work,   II.  i66.    (Sept.,  1879.) 


304  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

its  share  of  missionary  offerings,  and  assign  its  proportion  of  receipts 
to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  its  Convocation.  Times  of 
meetings  (which  were  generally  quarterly),  by-laws  and  other  details  of 
work  were  left  to  the  Convocations.  The  effect  of  this  plan  was,  not 
immediately,  but  gradually,  to  infuse  new  life  into  the  missions  of  the 
Diocese.  There  was  no  considerable  increase  of  offerings  for  several 
years,  but  a  very  decided  increase  of  personal  interest  in  the  work 
was  evident  in  the  regular  meetings  of  the  Convocations  and  the 
occasional  visits  of  the  Deans  to  the  Missions.  In  1881  the  Dean- 
eries were  reduced  to  four,  that  of  Lockport  being  consolidated  with 
Buffalo  and  Batavia,  and  in  this  form  the  system  remained,  and,  as 
it  seems  to  me,  with  excellent  results,  for  fifteen  years  more. 

I  find  in  the  Journal  of  1872  (p.  76)  a  communication  furnished  by 
the  Bishop  but  not  apparently  written  by  him,  pleading  eloquently 
for  the  removal  of  limitations  on  the  appropriations  to  beneficiaries 
of  the  Christmas  Fund,  especially  clergymen,  whose  maximum  allow- 
ance at  that  time,  and  for  ten  years  later,  was  $250.  The  writer 
points  out  the  fact  that  the  cost  of  living  had  doubled  since  the  limit 
was  fixed,  and  asks  "  if  it  is  a  just  or  righteous  policy  to  leave  the  sick 
and  the  aged  to  struggle  with  unhappy  poverty  in  order  that  we 
may  lay  up  a  considerable  portion  of  the  alms  of  the  Church 
contributed  for  their  relief  in  a  fund  called  permauenf  for  the  support 
of  generations  yet  unborn.  Is  our  Church  growing  or  decaying?  Do 
we  believe  that  in  the  next,  or  in  any  coming  age,  she  will  be  less  able 
to  support  her  ministering  servants  than  she  is  today?"  And  so  on. 
In  1882  the  limit  was  increased  to  $300  a  year,  at  which  it  still  re- 
mains. The  Trustees  reported  to  the  Council  of  1903  offerings  from 
71  out  of  125  parishes  amounting  to  $1,151.34,  almost  exactly  five 
cents  for  each  communicant  in  the  Diocese  ;  an  accumulated  fund  of 
$26,587  ;  and  $2,650,  being  the  entire  income  from  offerings  and  in- 
vestments, disbursed  to  16  annuitants,  (averaging  $160.63,)  most 
of  whom  were  the  widows  of  clergymen.  During  the  last  year  a  con- 
siderable additional  fund,  $13,750,  to  be  kept  separately,  and  for 
the  benefit  of  clergymen  only,  has  been  received  from  a  bequest  of 
the  widow  of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Van  Bokkelen.  And  to  this  it  may 
be  added  that  the  Council  of  190 1  adopted  unanimously  a  canon 
providing  a  "  Retiring  Pension  "  of  $400  for  every  clergyman  of  65 
years,  and  25  of  active   service  in  the  Diocese,   desiring  to  withdraw 


.11  IB  n  Ml  I  jit 


CHURCH   H(.)MK.   t.ENEVA 


Sunday  Schools  305 

from  active  duty  in  the  ministry.  So  tluit  the  Diocese  has  practically 
a  fair  provision  for  the  last  clays  of  its  clergy,  notwithstanding  its 
discreditably  insignificant  offerings  in  that  behalf. 

At  the  Council  of  1873,  (held  for  the  first  time  in  the  beautiful 
village  of  Hath,  in  the  "  Southern  Tier,")  a  committee  of  clergymen 
and  laymen  appointed  the  previous  year  "  to  recommend,  with  the 
Bishop's  approval,  a  Hymnal  with  Tunes,  and  a  pointing  of  the 
Canticles  and  Psalter  for  this  Diocese."  unanimously  report  in  favour 
of  those  edited  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Tucker  ;  which  result  the  Bishop 
"  cordially  accepts,"  reserving,  however,  "  the  privilege  of  commend- 
ing any  good  work  of  the  kind  "  desired  by  parishes  "  in  which  other 
views  prevail."  A  resolution  adopted  at  the  same  time  requested  the 
Bishop  to  appoint  a  clergyman  skilled  in  ecclesiastical  music,  as 
"  Precentor  of  the  Diocese,"  to  visit  the  parishes  at  the  request  of 
their  Rectors,  to  train  choirs  and  children  in  Church  music,  and  to 
take  charge  of  the  music  at  Conventions.  The  Bishop  appointed  the 
Rev.  Charles  J.  Machin,  then  of  Olean,  who  had  done  some  good 
work  in  training  children  and  choirs  in  Buffalo,  and  did  afterw'ards,  I 
believe,  in  Rochester.  But  he  left  the  Diocese  two  years  later,  and 
no  further  effort  seems  to  have  been  made  in  this  direction. 

At  the  same  Council  was  presented  a  report  of  much  interest  on 
Sunday  School  work,  prepared  mainly  by  the  Rev.  George  S.  Baker, 
then  curate  in  S.  Luke's  Church,  Rochester.  It  discusses  various 
difficulties, — in  obtaining  efficient  teachers,  in  securing  regular  attend- 
ance, in  keeping  on  the  older  scholars,  in  bringing  the  children  to 
church, — and  suggests  methods  to  overcome  these  obstacles,  conclud- 
ing with  strong  commendation  of  the  plan  of  instruction  and  service 
adopted  by  Dr.  (afterwards  Bishop)  Perry  in  Geneva,  /.  <?.,  a  short 
afternoon  instruction  followed  by  a  choral  evensong  and  catechising 
in  church,  a  system  kept  up  with  excellent  results  there,  and  I  think 
in  a  few  other  parishes,  to  this  day.  These  reports  on  Sunday 
Schools  have  been  continued,  year  after  year,  and  are  often,  like  this 
one,  very  able  and  interesting.  But  I  find  nothing  in  them  all  to  show 
how  far  the  difficulties  and  imperfections  have  been  obviated  so  as 
to  make  our  Sunday  Schools  generally  more  efficient. 

1  have  already  alluded  (Ch.  XLII.  above)  to  the  Bishop's  desire  to 
make  the  "  Episcopal  Library,"  mainly  by  his  own  gift,  a  trust  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Clergy  generally  as  well  as  of  his  own  successors  in 


3o6  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

office.  At  the  Council  of  1875  a  Committee  on  "An  Episcopal 
Library  "  report  that  the  Bishop  has  been  able  to  extend  its  usefulness 
by  the  loan  of  books  to  a  number  of  the  Clergy,  and  suggest  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  Librarian  and  an  appropriation  for  binding.  The  next 
year  further  use  of  the  Library  by  the  Clergy  is  reported,  and  a 
catalogue  of  the  books  was  orderedio  be  printed  in  the  Journal  for  the 
information  of  those  desiring  to  use  it.  In  1877  the  Committee 
highly  approve  the  reco7mnendation  to  print  and  distribute  the  Cata- 
logue ;  and  this  is  the  last  we  hear  of  it  or  of  the  Library  except  from 
the  Bishop  himself  in  1879  and  1882,  and  in  his  final  bequest  of  it  to 
the  Diocese,  as  already  noted.* 

The  Council  of  1876  adopted  the  following  resolution,  the  outcome 
of  an  able  report  on  a  Permanent  Diaconate  suggested  by  the 
Bishop's  Address  : 

"  That  it  is  desirable  that  the  Order  of  Deacons  should  be  restored 
to  its  primitive  offices,  by  the  ordination  of  duly  qualified  men,  such 
as  are  now  selected  as  lay  readers,  to  minister  in  strict  accordance 
with  the  promises  of  the  Ordinal  ;  provided  that  the  offices  of  a 
Deacon  thus  restored  should  in  no  respect  interfere  with  the  custom- 
ary use  of  the  Diaconate  as  a  preparatory  and  probationary  degree  in 
the  said  Ministry." 

The  Bishop  carried  this  resolution  into  effect  in  a  number  of  in- 
stances in  succeeding  years,  and  in  some,  at  least,  with  most  useful 
results.  I  cannot  give,  as  I  should  be  glad  to,  the  names  of  all  those 
thus  ordered  by  him  ;  but  I  must  mention  two  in  Buffalo,  Cyrus  P. 
Lee  and  Thomas  Dennis,  both  Wardens  of  their  respective  Parishes 
and  men  of  the  highest  personal  character,  who,  though  advanced  in 
years,  and  occupied  in  important  secular  business,  were  able  to  give 
themselves  freely,  devotedly  and  efficiently  to  a  true  Deacon's  work, 
for  the  short  time  during  which  they  were  spared  to  the  Church  on 
earth. 

This  same  year,  in  connection  with  a  revision  of  the  Constitution 
and  Canons  then  beginning,  the  Bishop  has  some  remarks  on  "  a  Dioc- 
esan Name,"  which  I  cannot  help  quoting  in  addition  to  all  that  has 
been  said  on  that  subject  : 

"  The  Church  at  large  is  actually  disfigured  by  its  uncatholic  no- 
menclature.    A  '  chart  of  the  winds  '  is  hardly  more  complicated  by 


*  See  above,  Chapter  XLII.  p.  294. 


The  Bisiioi-'s  Support  307 

minute  reference  to  the  points  of  the  compass  than  our  list  of  Dioceses 
is  likely  to  become  if  this  absurdity  is  to  be  carried  much  further.  As 
the  mischief  began  with  the  compound-adjective  style  of  '  Western 
New  \'ork,'  I  wish  the  reform  might  also  be  started  here.  But  I 
should  not  venture  the  suggestion,  had  I  not  a  useful  end  in  view. 
The  time  is  sure  to  come  when  Rochester  must  be  made  the  See  of  a 
new  Diocese.  Our  existing  Diocese,  like  Sodor  and  Man,  might 
well  be  designated  '  the  Diocese  of  Buffalo  and  Rochester,'  and  were 
it  so,  I  might,  if  it  were  thought  best,  take  steps  immediately  for 
giving  one  of  the  churches  in  Rochester  the  character  of  a  Cathedral. 
From  this,  as  a  centre,  the  future  Diocese  would  be  the  more  readily 
developed."  * 

But  I  find  no  action  of  the  Council,  then  or  later,  on  this  suggestion 
of  the  Bishop.  Such  action  was  proposed  before  and  at  the  Special 
Council  of  1896  for  the  election  of  a  Bishop,  but  failed  to  obtain  the 
necessary  two-thirds  vote  for  its  consideration. 

In  the  following  year  (1877)  an  earnest  effort  to  increase  the 
Episcopate  B'und  was  begun  by  one  of  its  Trustees,  Mr.  William  M. 
White.  It  did  not  bear  much  fruit  till  some  years  later  (I  can  hardly 
say  much  fruit  even  then),  and  I  mention  it  to  quote  a  few  words  from 
the  Bishop  commending  the  effort. 

"  I  ask  rich  men  to  unite  in  considerable  contributions  to  this  fund, 
and  to  give  in  advance  of  their  wills  and  testaments  what  they  may  be 
happy  to  disburse  as  their  own  executors.  It  is  a  graceful  and  com- 
prehensive form  of  liberality  ;  a  recognition  of  the  value  of  that  Apos- 
tolic office  which  the  Lord  has  set  in  the  Church  ;  a  bounty  to  the 
whole  Diocese,  and  a  great  relief  to  poor  parishes  and  missionary 
stations  which  ought  not  to  bear  any  large  proportion  of  the  expenses 
of  an  Episcopate  in  a  wealthy  Diocese. 

"  It  has  always  appeared  to  me  that  an  Am.erican  Bishop  should 
live  very  simply,  but  yet  with  a  moderate  dignity  and  with  freedom 
from  monetary  cares.  I  could  not  conscientiously  accept  more  than 
my  Diocese  now  affords  me  as  my  stipend,  because  that  would  be  out 
of  proportion  with  what  it  gives  to  other  instruments  of  Church  work.  If 
the  Diocese  wishes  me  to  live  on  a  smaller  income  I  will  do  so  cheer- 
fully ;  but;  in  that  case  I  must  remove  to  some  quiet  village  where 
nothing  will  be  expected  of  me  beyond  what  comports  with  a  decent 
retirement.  I  have  often  thought  that  what  is  paid  to  the  Judges  of 
our  higher  Courts  of  Law  supplies  a  fair  standard  of  what  a  Bishop 
must  need  for  a  respeci able  maintenance.  Every  clergyman  should 
be  supported  on  a  scale  graduated  by  some  similar  parallel.      .      .     I 


*  Joum.  1876,  p.  55. 


3o8  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

need  not  say  how  wicked  it  is  to  reduce  the  Ministers  of  Christ  to  a 
pittance  inconsistent  with  honest  and  respectable  living.  I  conjure 
every  Churchman  in  the  Diocese  to  consider  himself  responsible,  in 
some  degree,  when  a  due  and  decent  support  is  not  punctually  and 
cheerfully  supplied  to  the  man  of  God,  who  ministers  in  things  not 
perishable,  but  spiritual  and  eternal,  of  magnitude  unspeakable."* 


*  Joum.  1877,  p.  69. 


S.  JOHN'S  CHURCH,  CAN ANDAIGUA,  N.  V. 
Consecrated  1887 


CHAPTER    XLIV 
PAROCHIAL  WORK,  SCHOOLS  AND  CHARITIES,  1869-79 


g[35^^g!|HE  general  work  and  growth  of  the  Diocese  during  the 
'^I<^^  ^^"  years  following  the  setting  off  of  Central  New  York 
^-  "  is  indicated  more  by  new  parishes  and  missions,  the 

building  of  new  churches,  and  the  founding  of  new 
charities,  than  by  any  numerical  increase.  In  fact, 
the  general  statistics  of  the  Diocese  in  1879  hardly  vary  from  those 
of  1869,  except  in  the  addition  of  some  3,000,  or  25  per  cent.,  to  the 
number  of  communicants,  and  2,000,  about  the  same  proportion,  to 
that  of  Sunday  scholars.  The  offerings  are  about  the  same  on  the 
whole;  less  for  diocesan,  more  for  general  objects.  The  Episcopate 
Fund  has  added  $1,600  to  its  $27,000,  the  Permanent  Missionary 
Fund  is  $17,895  instead  of  $11,127,  the  Divinity  School  Fund  $21,217 
instead  of  $17,465,  the  Christmas  Fund  $10,900  instead  of  $6,500. 
From  the  Reports  there  would  seem  to  be  no  more  parishes  and 
missions  in  1879  than  ten  years  before,  but  that  is  probably  owing  to 
a  more  careful  weeding  out  of  nominal  missions  which  had  been  given 
up  long  ago.  In  Buffalo  the  new  parish  of  S.  Mary's-on-the-Hill  had 
organized  and  begun  its  first  church  building;  that  of  the  Ascension, 
under  the  able  and  devoted  leadership  of  John  M.  Henderson  (con- 
tinued for  twenty-four  years  till  his  death  in  1885)  had  built  a  new 
and  permanent  church  of  stone  at  a  cost  of  $40,000  ;  All  Saints  was 
just  founded  ;  Christ  Church,  under  Orlando  Witherspoon,  had  built 
its  fine  chapel  on  Delaware  Avenue,  now  inherited  by  Trinity  Church  ; 
and  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Smith  had  begun,  with  his  Rectorship  of 
S.  James  (from  1876),  the  splendid  work  of  planting  missions  and 
building  churches  which  made  him  within  a  few  years  virtually  the 
Dean  of  the  whole  "  East  side  "  of  Buffalo,  as  he  still  is.  Missions, 
begun  at  Tonawanda  by  the  Rev.  George  C.  Pennell  of  Buffalo  ;  at 
East  Aurora  by  David  A.  Bonnar  ;  in  Chautauqua  county  by  Francis 
Granger;  at  Randolph  by  Levi  W.  Norton,  then  of  Jamestown  ;  at 
Salamanca,  where  a  church  was  built  with  great  effort  under  the 
untiring  labours  of  Pascal  P.  Kidder  ;  at  Attica  by  J.  H.  Waterbury  ; 
in  Livingston  county  by  the  veteran  missionary   Fortune  C.  Brown  of 


3IO  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Avon  ;  at  Livonia  by  George  S.  Teller  of  Geneseo  ;  at  Middleport  by 
George  W.  Southwell ;  at  Oakfield  by  James  R.  Coe  from  his  remark- 
ably successful  headship  of  the  Gary  School  ;  in  Schuyler  county  by 
Duncan  C.  Mann  ;  at  Dresden  and  Dundee  by  Timothy  F.  Ward- 
well  ;  and  at  South  Phelps  and  other  places  near  Geneva  (some  of 
them  in  the  Diocese  of  Central  New  York)  by  Hobart  students  under 
Dr.  Rankine  and  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer ;  all  these  had  taken  root, 
and — sometimes  after  long  and  patient  waiting — were  showing  some 
substantial  growth.  In  Rochester,  S.  Luke's  Church  had  founded 
the  mission  of  the  Epiphany,  and  S.  Paul's  that  of  S.  James,  and  each 
had  built  a  church  for  those  now  strong  parishes  ;  and  S.  Clement's, 
an  offshoot  of  Christ  Church  founded  mainly  by  the  late  William  B. 
Douglas,  had  after  much  tribulation  blossomed  out  into  S.  Andrew's, 
which  soon,  vnider  the  energetic  pastoral  work  of  Algernon  S.  Crap- 
sey,  became  one  of  the  largest  and  most  active  churches  in  that  city. 
The  Mission  church  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  also  founded  by  S,  Luke's, 
and  that  of  S.  John  by  S.  Paul's,  did  a  good  work  for  a  time,  but 
were  eventually  absorbed  by  the  neighbouring  parishes. 

In  a  number  of  the  older  country  parishes — among  them  Niagara 
Falls,  Le  Roy,  Bath,  Palmyra,  Pittsford,  Hammondsport,  and  Can- 
andaigua — new  churches  were  built  at  considerable  cost  (most  of 
them  from  thirty  to  fifty  thousand  dollars  each)  and  of  excellent  arch- 
itectural character,  equal  in  this  respect  to  any  in  the  Diocese.  I 
have  already  noted  the  still  greater  work  of  the  Memorial  Church  in 
Geneva.  A  great  deal  of  church  building,  and  what  might  be  called 
restoration,  in  the  smaller  country  parishes,  belongs  to  this  period. 

A  still  greater  advance  in  the  real  work  of  the  Diocese  may  be  found 
in  the  fact  that  each  of  its  three  chief  centres,  Buffalo,  Rochester  and 
Geneva,  had  now  its  Church  Home,  though  the  latter  was  not 
fully  planted  till  several  years  later,  under  the  Rev.  Henry  W. 
Nelson,  Jr.,  who  began  in  1877  his  most  faithful  and  fruitful  pas- 
torate, the  longest  which  even  Trinity  Church  ever  had,  and  carrying 
on  to  its  full  develojDment  the  remarkable  pastoral  work  begun  in  that 
parish  by  Bishop  Bissell  and  continued  by  Bishop  Perry.  The  Buf- 
falo Church  Charity  Foundation  reported  as  early  as  1873  a  property 
of  $60,000,  and  both  its  means  and  its  charities  increased  steadily  each 
year  from  that  time.  Many  of  the  little  children  that  it  has  rescued 
from  destitution  have  gone  on  through  De  Veaux  College,   through 


De  Veaux  College  3 1 1 

Hobart  College,  through  the  Ccneral  Theological  Seminary  into  the 
Priesthood,  repaying  abundantly  in  the  end  all  that  the  Church  has  done 
for  them.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  Church  Home  of  Rochester  ; 
that  of  Geneva  has  not  attained  yet  to  a  children's  department,  but 
instead  has  maintained  a  well-managed  and  most  useful  Hospital.  A 
Sunday  service  for  deaf-mutes  was  established  in  1874  in  Christ 
Church.  Rochester,  the  beginning  of  a  work  which  has  grown  into 
larger  dimensions  as  a  recognized  institution  of  the  Diocese. 

The  Bishop  spent  a  great  deal  of  lime  and  labour  through  all  these 
and  later  years  in  an  effort  which,  so  far  as  I  can  find,  originated  with 
him,  to  develope  the  Foundation  of  Judge  De  Veaux  "for  Orphan 
and  Destitute  Children  "  into  a  great  Diocesan  School.  Dr.  Van 
Rensselaer,  under  whom  this  plan  was  begun,  was  succeeded  in  1869 
by  Mr.  (the  next  year  Rev.)  George  Herbert  Patterson,  who  during 
eleven  years  did  a  great  and  most  useful  work  of  Christian  training 
for  the  boys  now  largely  increased  in  number  by  the  admission  of 
*'  term  pupils  "  in  addition  to  the  beneficiaries,  or  "  foundationers  " 
under  Judge  De  Veaux's  bequest.  This  addition  was  intended  to  be, 
and  for  much  of  the  time  was,  not  only  a  means  of  extending  the  ben- 
efits of  the  School,  but  of  adding  largely  to  its  income  from  the  fees 
for  the  board  and  tuition  of  term-pupils.  The  instruction  and  house- 
hold life  were  modelled  on  those  of  the  best  English  Schools,  with  the 
addition  of  an  admirable  system  of  military  discipline,  and  the  whole 
effect  of  the  change  upon  the  boys  of  the  P'oundation  was  certainly 
most  beneficial. 

This  enlargement  of  the  original  plan  of  the  College  involved  neces- 
sarily a  considerable  addition  to  its  cost  of  maintenance  ;  not  merely 
in  current  expenses,  but  in  permanent  improvements  in  buildings  and 
furnishings.  The  Bishop,  and  the  Trustees  under  his  leadership,  felt 
certain  that  the  large  sums  expended  in  this  way  would  be  eventually 
if  not  immediately  repaid  by  the  success  of  the  term-pupil  depart- 
ment. It  seems  reasonably  certain  that  this  would  have  been  the 
case,  had  the  measure  received  the  hearty  support  of  the  Diocese  as 
a  whole.  But  it  did  not.  Some  of  the  Trustees  themselves,  and 
some  others  outside  of  their  number,  were  opposed  to  the  plan  from 
the  first,  believing  it  to  be  in  contravention  of  the  conditions  of  the 
bequest ;  but  this  theoretical  objection  would  probably  have  had  little 
weight  if  the  term-pupil  department  had  sustained  in  sufficient  degree 


312  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

the  large  outlay  which  it  demanded, — an  outlay  which,  it  is  only  just 
to  say,  was  greatly  increased  by  the  imperfect  construction  and  con- 
sequent bad  condition  of  the  original  buildings.  It  is  very  difficult 
now  to  judge  fairly  how  far  the  Bishop  and  the  Trustees  were  at  fault 
in  their  altogether  too  sanguine  expectations  and  the  expenditures 
based  upon  them  ;  but  the  fact  remains  that  within  ten  years  (1869- 
79),  with  an  average  of  only  fifty  term-pupils,  the  income-producing 
endowment  had  been  reduced  from  $142,000  to  $105,000,  with  the 
result  of  a  wide-spread  distrust  of  the  financial  management,  finding 
expression  in  acrimonious  and  not  always  intelligent  discussions 
of  the  annual  reports  in  the  Council  of  the  Diocese,  and  in  ineffec- 
tual efforts  to  bring  about  a  change  in  the  policy  or  the  personnel  of 
the  Trustees.  Under  all  these  difficulties  Mr.  Patterson  resigned  in 
1880,  and  his  successor,  Mr.  Wilfred  H.  Munro,  carried  on  the  work 
for  eight  years,  at  a  greatly  reduced  rate  of  expenditure,  but  with 
only  from  ten  to  sixteen  foundationers  during  all  this  time.  Thus  far, 
certainly,  the  great  purpose  of  the  founder  appeared  to  have  been 
very  imperfectly  fulfilled.  The  further  history  of  the  work  may  be 
left  to  a  later  chapter.* 


*  The  Bishop  says,  "  We  have  adopted  a  policy  which  may  yet  bring  into  the 
fullest  effect  all  the  ideas  of  Judge  De  Veaux,  through  instrumentalities  not  sug- 
gested by  him,  but  freely  permitted  by  the  terms  of  his  bequest,  and  by  the  direc- 
tions given  to  his  Trustees.  Every  year  is  giving  the  Scfiool  a  higher  character  ; 
and  such  abilities  as  I  possess  are  largely  concentrated  upon  the  further  develop- 
ment of  its  educational  advantages.  Let  me  add  that  in  every  step  we  have  been 
guided  by  legal  learning  and  experience ;  and,  while  patiently  enduring  much 
mistaken  criticism,  we  have  been  sustained  by  the  high  sense  of  doing  our  best  to 
carry  out  the  noble  plans  of  the  Founder,  so  as  to  make  his  '  College  '  not  unwor- 
thy of  his  name,  and  so  as  to  realize  his  grand  purpose  of  rendering  it  the  mother 
of  valuable  citizens  to  the  State,  and  of  enlightened  and  pious  sons  to  this  Church, 
of  which,  in  his  own  words,  he  has  made  it  a  '  dependency.'  Let  us  remember 
that  he  prescribed  no  mechanical  and  detailed  conditions.  He  did  not  tie  our 
hands,  by  impracticable  and  minute  in.structions,  to  a  visionary  and  delusive 
scheme  which  nothing  but  inexperience  and  fatuity  would  suggest.  But  he  left 
all  this  to  be  worked  out  by  the  wisdom  of  the  Diocese,  under  a  few  precise  but 
liberal  instructions,  invoking  for  his  idea  precisely  such  'fostering  care  and  pro- 
tection' as  we  have  conscientiously  and  laboriously  devoted  to  our  task."  Joum. 
1871,  p.  46. 

From  the  views  thus  expressed  Bishop  Coxe  never  swerved  to  the  day  of  his 
death. 


;^^^_:^^' ""  "'yfiSl**' 


CHURCH   HOMK  ORPHANAGK,  BUIFALO 
1894 


Church  Schools  313 

Another  work  of  Christian  education  dear  to  the  Bishop's  heart, 
and  for  a  time  very  successful,  was  the  "  Jane  Grey  School  "  for 
girls  at  Mount  Morris,  founded  in  1867  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  L. 
Franklin,  Rector  of  the  Parish,  but  named  by  the  Bishop  himself  after 
"  one  of  the  loveliest  of  her  sex.  and  one  of  the  most  accomplished  of 
Christian  women,"  who  was  also,  in  his  estimation,  not  only  "an 
illustrious  sufferer,  but  a  Confessor,  if  not  a  Martyr."  Dr.  Franklin 
was  succeeded  in  187 1  by  the  Rev.  Libertus  Van  Bokkelen,  D.D., 
a  former  pupil  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg  at  Flushing,  who  had  been  very 
efficient  in  similar  work  in  Maryland,  and  who  for  three  years  gave 
himself  earnestly  and  successfully  to  build  up  the  school.  In  1873  a 
Committee  of  the  Council  appointed  at  the  Bishop's  suggestion  re- 
ported that  the  school  had  a  property  worth  $17,000,  in  buildings  and 
grounds  ample  for  their  purpose,  with  a  mortgage  debt  of  $6,000  ; 
and  a  Committee  was  appointed  to  endeavour  to  secure  the  property  to 
the  Diocese.  The  Committee  reported  next  year  that  they  had  ac- 
complished nothing,  but  that  the  Bishop  himself  had  secured  the 
property  by  assuming  and  partly  paying  the  debt,  some  friends  in  and 
out  of  the  Diocese  enabling  him  to  meet  the  first  payment  of  $2,500. 
A  large-hearted  Churchman  of  Lyons,  Mr.  D.  W.  Parshall,  then  held 
the  mortgage  for  several  years  ;  but  in  the  financial  distresses  follow- 
ing, from  1876  to  1879,  the  enterprise  seems  to  have  been  given  up, 
in  spite  of  a  large  bounty  from  the  State.* 

The  Cary  School  at  Oakfield,  on  the  other  hand,  seems  to  have 
done  well  all  these  years,  under  the  Rev.  James  R.  Coe  till  his 
lamented  death  in  1874,  and  later  under  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Kellogg, 
and  the  Rev.  Henry  M.  Brown  ;  reporting  most  of  the  time  from  one 
hundred  and  eighty  to  two  hundred  pupils,  boys  and  girls,  (the  former 
mostly  and  the  latter  wholly  day-scholars,)  trained  as  well  as  taught 
in  the  Church's  ways. 

During  all  this  time  a  small  number  of  Parish  Schools  were  kept  up 
in  the  Diocese,  and  in  all  of  them  a  good  work  was  done  in  its  time  ; 
but  one  after  another  seems  to  have  succumbed  sooner  or  later  to  the 
irresistible  pressure  of  the  State  system  of  Public  Schools,  made  irre- 
sistible, however,  only  by  the  lamentable  indifference  of  Church  peo- 
ple in  regard  to  the  Christian  training  of  their  children. 

In  two  important  respects  the  Bishop's  earnest  counsels  to  his  clergy 

*  Reported  by  the  Committee  of  1S74  as  Sio,ooo.      (Joum.  187.4,  p.  23.) 


314  Diocese  of   Western  New  York 

and  laity,  and  not  less  his  own  example  of  life,  brought  about  in 
course  of  time  a  change  for  the  better  in  the  parochial  Avork  of  the 
Diocese  which  must  have  gladdened  his  heart.  Coming  back  to 
Western  New  York  in  1880  from  a  thirteen  years'  absence  in  New 
England,  I  was  struck  first  of  all  by  the  fact  that  the  country  parishes 
were  giving  a  far  better  support  to  their  clergy  and  to  all  Church  work 
than  they  had  ever  done  in  Bishop  De  Lancey's  day.  They  had  of 
course  increased  considerably  in  numbers  and  wealth,  some  of  them 
more  in  wealth  than  in  numbers  ;  but  they  were  for  the  most  part 
doing  much  more  in  proportion  to  their  means  and  ways  of  living, — 
so  far  as  one  could  judge  from  appearances, — than  they  had  been  used 
to.  I  cannot  but  think  that  the  Bishop's  constant  exhortations  to  a 
higher  standard  of  Christian  living  had  much  to  do  with  this.  Let  me 
quote  some  of  them  from  his  Annual  Addresses. 

In  1869  : — "  Brethren  of  the  Laity,  the  matter  of  clerical  support 
is  becoming  a  very  serious  one.  How  can  I  invite  able  and  eminent 
divines  into  my  Diocese,  how  can  we  retain  those  already  with  us, 
while  the  present  utterly  insufificient  standard  of  stipends  is  continued 
in  spite  of  their  diminished  nominal  value  .''  Again  I  ask.  Are  your 
parishes  furnished  with  parsonages  .''  Do  you  insure  the  life  of  your 
Rector .-'  Do  you  liberally  share  with  him  your  increase  ?  When  God 
gives  you  unexpected  gains,  or  what  are  called  windfalls,  do  you  ever 
think  of  honouring  the  Giver  by  offering  a  portion  thereof  to  His  Am- 
bassadors ?  What  dishonour  is  done  to  God  by  the  neglect  of  His 
Ministers  !  Many  of  the  Clergy  are  bidden  to  '  make  bricks  without 
straw  ';  they  are  expected  to  preach  instructive  sermons  without  books 
to  teach  them,  without  any  means  of  providing  themselves  with  the 
knowledge  which  the  Priest's  lips  are  to  keep.  Alas  !  many  of  our 
Clergy  cannot  educate  their  children  !  Let  no  one  who  makes  a  light 
thing  of  such  a  fact,  in  his  own  parish,  forget  that  God  makes  it  a 
very  weighty  matter,  and  will  visit  it,  heavily,  on  everyone  who  is 
responsible  for  it ;  while  He  will  not  fail  to  reward  those  who  are 
bountiful  to  His  servants.  Such  are  his  threats  and  promises,  and 
let  those  who  have  been  smitten  with  losses  and  disappointments  and 
unaccountable  mishaps  ask  themselves  whether  they  have  not  per- 
chance '  robbed  God  in  tithes  and  offerings.'  " 

In  187 1  : — -"I  desire  to  fortify  my  Diocese  with  clergymen  of 
ability  and  efficiency.  .  .  This  is  what  might  be  effected  if  only 
the  Laity  would  resolve  to  raise  the  requisite  support  for  their  Pastors. 
What  is  meant  by  support,  they  can  easily  understand  from  their  own 
experiences  ;  by  observing  what  are  the  salaries  of  clerks  and  book- 
keepers, or  even  the    wages  of  day-labourers.       Do  you  wish  your 


Support  of  the  Clergy  315 

spiritual  teachers,  the  guides  and  examples  of  your  children,  to  starve 
on  less  than  is  given  to  persons  in  these  humbler  situations  ?  .  .  . 
There  are,  thank  God,  signs  of  improvement  in  this  matter  in  divers 
places.  Less  than  $1,000  and  a  parsonage  is  no  longer  considered  a 
salary  for  any  competent  Pastor.  If  there  be  self-denying  men  who 
will  consent  to  labour  for  less,  let  the  difference  be  reckoned  as  their 
subscription  to  the  parochial  funds  ;  and  let  the  Laity  fairly  note  how 
such  subscriptions  compare  with  their  own." 

In  1S72  : — '•  With  you  it  rests  to  make  your  several  parishes  flourish. 
In  many  places  the  work  could  be  nobly  sustained  if  the  Laity  would 
devote  to  the  Divine  offices  of  the  Church  of  (Jod,  the  time,  the 
thought,  the  energies  and  the  money  which  they  lavish  on  political 
clubs,  on  social  unions,  lodges  and  fraternities.  Such  institutions 
may  be  good  in  themselves,  but  they  are  '  of  the  earth,  earthy  ';  they 
are  incapable  of  supplying  the  spiritual  and  moral  necessities  of  man  ; 
and  they  are  made  positively  bad  when  they  take  the  place  in  men's 
minds  and  affections,  of  that  Society  of  which  the  Son  of  God  is  the 
Founder,  and  which  it  is  every  man's  highest  interest  to  promote, 
whether  as  respects  the  rewards  of  this  life  or  of  those  which  we  seek 
in  the  solemn  issues  of  eternity." 

In  1874  : — "  Large  colonies  of  our  people  live  abroad  ;  they  derive 
their  incomes  from  America,  and  lavish  them  in  Europe,  if  not 
luxuriously,  yet  with  large  indulgence  of  '  the  lust  of  the  eye  and  the 
pride  of  life.'  And  I  hold  it  a  great  abuse,  when  the  treasures  God 
has  given  to  any  steward  are  thus  withdrawn  from  the  support  and 
encouragement  of  those  institutions  of  religion  and  learning  on  which 
the  future  of  his  country  must  depend.  I  ask  my  reverend  brethren 
to  remind  affluent  persons  going  abroad  of  their  increased  obligations 
to  all  good  works  at  home  ;  to  their  parishes,  to  our  Missionary 
Boards,  and  to  every  worthy  object  for  which  our  over-taxed  Episco- 
pate is  forced  to  plead  and  struggle  so  often  in  vain.  I  know  of  some 
loeautiful  exceptions  to  the  evil  of  which  I  complain  ;  .some  Chris- 
tians, committing  themselves  to  perilous  voyages  and  long  absences, 
set  aside  conscientiously  God's  portion  of  their  income,  and  provide 
for  its  regular  distribution." 

In  1876: — "  To  the  mere  man  of  the  market,  were  he  only  here,  I 
would  say,  pointing  to  you,  my  brethren  of  the  Clergy,  '  Behold  your 
greatest  benefactors.'  To  say  nothing  of  things  unseen,  which  alone 
are  eternal,  I  remind  you  that  the  things  temporal  derive  all  their 
worth  from  the  lives  and  exertions  of  these  Priests  of  God.  Without 
them  society  has  no  foundation,  civilization  no  corner-stone.  Let  the 
church-bells  cease  to  ring,  let  spires  and  temples  fall,  and  the 
voice  of  prayer  and  praise  no  longer  sound  ;  let  there  be  no  Sundays, 
no  Christmas,  no  Easter,  through  all  the  dull  year  of  unbelief  ; 
let  there  be  no  christenings  and  no  training  of  children  in  the  Creed, 
the    Lord's    Prayer  and  the  Ten  Commandments  ;     no  conscience 


3i6  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

awakened,  no  moral  duties  enforced  ;  no  tongues  to  exhort,  none  to 
teach  the  love  and  fear  of  the  Lord  ;  no  plea  for  the  Cross,  no 
promise  of  Resurrection  ;  no  blessing  for  the  bride,  no  solemn  burial 
for  the  dead,  no  hope  of  the  life  everlasting  ;  let  all  these  things  cease 
from  among  us,  as  they  must  when  there  are  no  more  reverend  Pas- 
tors to  carry  on  these  works  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ;  I  ask  you, 
what  sort  of  a  land  would  this  be  ?" 

I  have  already  quoted  (p. 307  sup?-a)  from  the  Address  of  1877.  In 
1878  the  Bishop  enforces  another  lesson. 

"  A  year  of  continued  commercial  and  financial  embarrassments, 
extending  through  the  country  and  even  through  the  world,  has 
naturally  been  felt  in  all  our  diocesan  interests.  Yet  it  is  my  convic- 
tion that  we  magnify  this  source  of  difficulties  unreasonably,  when  we 
ascribe  to  it  our  feeble  contributions  to  the  work  of  Christ  and  His 
Church.  In  many  years  you  have  made  wealth  rapidly,  and  thousands 
among  us  have  become  affluent,  as  if  by  the  magic  of  those  purses 
and  lamps  of  fortune  of  which  we  read  in  Oriental  fables.  In  those 
days  did  we  give  commensurately  ?  I  fear  not.  We  feel  poor  only 
because  we  are  not  rapidly  accvunulating  ;  but  few  of  us  are  without 
that  kind  of  abundance  which  would  be  counted  wealth  in  many 
countries,  and  all  of  us  could  give  more  by  a  little  self-denial." 

Another  advance  apparent  everywhere  in  the  Diocese  during  this 
period  was  in  the  frequency  of  public  services,  and  especially  of  cele- 
brations of  the  Holy  Communion,  and  the  increased  care  and  rever- 
ence in  the  worship  of  God  on  the  part  of  Clergy  and  Laity.  Here 
too  the  Church  was  moving  in  a  drift,  so  to  speak,  of  the  whole 
country,  even  of  Protestantism  outside  our  borders,  towards  a 
better  sense  of  these  things  ;  but  the  gain  was  more  marked  here 
than  in  many  other  Dioceses,  and  was  due  largely,  I  cannot  doubt,  to 
the  teaching  and  example  of  the  Bishop.  The  truth  is  that  Bishop 
Coxe,  though  born  a  Presbyterian,  was  nevertheless  a  born  Catholic, 
and  a  born  Ritualist,  in  the  true  sense  of  those  terms,  as  well  as  a 
born  Poet  ;  and  he  could  not  have  been  the  author  of  the  Christian 
Ballads  if  he  had  not  been  a  Catholic  and  a  Ritualist.  His  deep-set 
prejudice — for  it  was,  in  part,  a  prejudice  as  well  as  a  principle — 
against  everything  which  seemed  to  him  the  outcome  of  Romanist 
error,  often  held  him  back  from  the  expression  of  his  inmost  thought ; 
but  the  thought  was  there  all  the  same,  and  sooner  or  later  would 
show  its  true  self  in  word  and  act.  We  may  see  instances  of  this 
later  ;   I  only  speak  of  it  now  to  show  how  his  instinctive  sense  of  deep 


Counsels  of  the  Clergy  317 

reverence  as  the  foundation  of  all  true  worship  made  itself  felt  in 
counsel  and  example  to  Clergy  and  Laity  alike.  Repeatedly  (as  in 
his  Address  of  1875)  he  urges  upon  every  Parish  Priest  to  institute 
the  weekly  Eucharibt  in  his  church,  so  that  at  least  those  can  come 
who  desire  it.  "  The  people  will  never  comprehend  the  true  nature 
of  worship,"  he  says,  "till  we  sanctify  every  Lord's  Day  by  the 
Lord's  Supper"  ;  nor  till  we  do  this  "according  to  the  primitive 
example,  can  we  claim  to  be  a  Scriptural  Church.  Think  of  these 
words,  '  As  often  as  ye  eat  this  Bread.'  How  often  did  the  Apostle 
mean  ?  There  is  but  one  answer  ;  .  .  it  was  at  least  on  every  first 
day  of  the  week."  The  first  subject  he  assigned  (in  1866)  for  a 
Convocation  essay  and  discussion  was  "  The  Devout  and  Reverent 
Celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion."  I  was  hardly  surprised 
when  some  years  later  I  found  a  much  nearer  approach  to  such  a  cele- 
bration prevalent  in  the  Diocese,  than  I  had  ever  seen  before. 

I  should  like  to  quote  also  in  this  connection  his  counsels  on  regu- 
lar and  systematic  Catechising, — on  the  long  and  timely  preparation 
of  classes  for  Confirmation,  instead  of  gathering  them  up  hurriedly  on 
the  approach  of  a  visitation, — on  the  reverent  care  of  the  departed, 
and  the  keeping  of  Christian  Burials  free  from  the  prevalent  folly  and 
extravagance  of  the  fashions  of  the  day, — and  other  such  matters 
belonging  to  pastoral  work.  But  I  fear  this  chapter  is  already  too 
long. 


CHAPTER  XLV 

BISHOP  COXE  AND  CHRISTIAN   UNITY 

UCH  account  of  Bishop  Coxe's  Episcopate  as  I  can  give 
here  is  concerned  chiefly,  of  course,  with  his  work  in 
the  Diocese,  and  does  not  attempt  to  be  in  any  sense 
his  biography.  But  even  to  understand  that  work,  we 
must  know  something  of  what  he  was  constantly  doing 
for  the  Church  and  the  world  beyond  all  diocesan  limits. 

First  of  all  are  the  hopes  and  the  efforts  which  began  with  his 
early  life,  and  ended  only  with  his  death,  for  the  restoration  of 
Christian  Unity, — abroad  and  at  home,  on  the  Catholic  and  the  Pro- 
testant side  alike.  It  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that  this  desire  for 
Christian  Union  in  unity  was  the  passion  of  his  life.  See  it  first  of 
all  on  every  page  of  his  Christian  Ballads,  and  his  earlier  and  less 
widely  known  verses  in  Hallotveen,  written  when  he  was  from  twelve 
to  twenty  years  old,  many  of  them,  strange  to  say,  in  a  summer  spent 
in  Western  New  York,  and  almost  under  the  shadow  of  the  old 
church  and  rectory  which  enshrined  Bishop  Hobart's  name  and  mem- 
ory. 

"  O  ye  baptized,  and  cross'd  beside, 
Ye  soldiers  of  the  Crucified, 
That  stand  in  phalanx  deep  and  broad, 
The  one  Church  Catholic  of  God  ! 
Know  ye  full  well,  that  every  day 
With  you,  the  old  Apostles  pray  ; 
With  you,  as  if  on  earth  they  stood, 
The  Prophets'  goodly  brotherhood 
Are  praising  God  ;     and  with  them  bnght 
The  Martyrs'  noble  host  in  light."* 
And  again,  of  the  Easter  Feast  when 

"  All  the  earth  is  gay  and  bright 
Risen  with  the  Lord  to  light;" 


"  A  thousand  vintages  today 

The  dear  Redeemer's  blood  display, 

From  Samos'  isle  of  ruddy  vines, 


*  Halloween  (Ed.  1845),  p.  36. 


Christian  Unity  319 

To  where  the  Finland  chalice  shines  ; 

And  where  the  Hindu  hand  hath  crush'd 

The  grape  that  in  the  jungle  hlush'd  ; 

Or  where  the  Huron's  cluster  wild 

Is  on  the  Altar,  undefiled. 

And  grain  that  hath  to  harvest  grown, 

Upon  a  thousand  mountains  sown. 

From  greeu  Arkansas,  to  Cathay, 

Is  bless'd  for  Jesu's  flesh  today. 

And  every  altar,  Clreek  and  Goth, 

Is  cover'd  with  its  snowy  cloth  ; 

And  kneeling  Christians,   eveiywhere, 

Are  fed  with  sacramental  fare. 

In  farthest  Ind  I  see  them  bow. 

The  naked  shape,  the  swarthy  brow, 

Where  Gunga's  wave,  so  dark  before, 

Hath  borne  the  northern  bi.shop's  prore  ; 

Aye  there,  'neath  vault  and  swelling  dome, 

And  oh,  in  my  green  forest  home, 

All — all  are  kneeling  ! — and  on  high, 

There's  one  communion  in  the  sky ; 

For  there  all  angels,  and  the  dead, 

Are  one,  in  Him  that  suffered  !"* 
From  the  Ballads  I  might  quote  pages,  did  space  permit,  showing 
how  this  boyhood's  vision  of  the  Catholic  Church  became  brighter 
and  clearer  as  years  went  on.  He  has  told  us  in  the  Preface  to  the 
illustrated  edition  of  1865  how  the  Romanist  Comte  de  Montalambert 
unconsciously  quoted  from  them  in  his  philippic  contrasting  sharply 
the  Christian  patriotism  of  England  and  of  France.  When  his  heart 
outpours  in  "  S.  Sacrament  "  as  he  beholds  the  Hurons  gathering 

"  as  at  council  fires. 
Or  leagued  with  peaceful  men  " 
and  "  listening  in  their  multitudes  " 


*  Id.  p.  58,  60.  "  All  Saints,"  he  says  in  the  Notes  to  Halloween,  "  the  festi- 
val in  which  the  Church  commemorates  her  Saints  and  Martyrs,  and  all  the  dead 
in  Christ,  as  part  of  her  Holy  Communion,  expecting  with  her  the  Resurrection 
of  the  Body,  and  the  final  award  of  the  Life  Everlasting— this  Festival  is  the 
counterpart  of  Easter — telling  of  death,  as  Easter  does  of  Resurrection;  and  as 
God  has  given  to  the  latter  the  reviving  blossom  and  the  sweet  spring-time  ;  so 
He  has  set  the  former  in  the  Autumn,  and  strewed  the  sere-leaves  in  our  path  to 
church,  as  its  becoming  sjmbol.  And  'hus  the  true  Catholic  always  finds  himself 
living  in  harmony  with  Nature  ;  for  the  Author  of  Nature  is  the  Author  of  his 
Holy  Religion.  He  has  a  joy  which  the  world  knows  not,  in  beholding  all  the 
works  of  God.  They  have  a  place  in  that  system  of  the  universe,  ofwhich  the 
Catholic  Church  is  a  party      (p.  64.) 


320  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

To  one,  that  midst  them  stood, 
And  reared  the  cross — as  pamters  draw 

John  Baptist  in  the  wood. 
With  laud  and  anthem  rung  the  grove  ; 

And  here,  where  howl'd  their  yell, 
I've  heard  their  Christian  litanies 
And  high  Te  Deum  swell  " — 
he  has  to  caution  us  in  a  note  that  "  it  is  not  intended  here  to  express 
any  high  estimate  of  the   French  Missions  among  the  savages,"  but 
the  caution,  I  fear,  comes  too  late  for  most  readers.* 
So  in  "  Antioch" — 

"  I  wear  the  name  of  Christ  my  God, 

So  name  me  not  from  man  ! 
And  my  broad  country  Catholic, 

It  hath  nor  tribe  nor  clan  ; 
And  one  and  endless  is  the  line 

Through  all  the  world  that  went, 
Commissioned  from  that  Holy  Hill 
Of  Christ's  sublime  ascent." 

*  * 

I  hear  my  Saviour's  earnest  prayer, 

That  one  we  all  may  be, 
And  -oh,  how  can  I  go  with  them 

That  tear  Him  bodily? 
I  see  the  heralds  of  His  Cross 

Whom  Jesus  sent  of  yore  ; 
And  can  I  spurn  anointed  hands? 

I  love  my  Saviour  more."  t 
And  in  the  ' '  Lament  for  the  Lenten  Season  ' ' : — 
"  Oh  plead,  as  once  the  Saviour  did, 

That  we  may  all  be  One, 
That  so  the  blinded  world  may  know 

The  Father  sent  the  Son. 

*  * 

Oh  keep  thy  fast  for  Christendom  I 

For  Christ's  dear  Body  mourn  ; 
And  weave  again  the  seamless  robe 

That  faithless  friends  have  toni."| 


*  Christia7t  Ballads  (ed.  1865),  pp.  28,  224.     In   the  earlier  "revised"  edition 
of  1847  (p.  167),  the  Notes  are  quite  different, 
t  Ed.  1865,  p.  34-6. 

\  Id.  p.  55- 


^ 
n 


l-^'?: 


.)?^-    --^^   J?    <-         ^'  v"  ■"" 


'-*^--. 


v;        life   (#V  5S-J^ 


HirCHINSOX   MKMORIAI.  IIIAI'KI, 

Church  Home,  Buffalo 

Consecrated  1895 


Christian  Unity  321 

And  in  "  Kniber  Prayers  "     (1836): — 

"  W'lien  for  the  Church  I  prayed, 

As  this  dear  Lent  began, 
My  thoughts,  I'm  sore  afraid, 

Within  small  limits  ran. 
By  Ember-week  I  learned 

How  large  that  prayer  might  be. 
And  then,  in  soul,  I  burned 

That  all  might  pray  with  me. 
Plead  for  the  victims  all 

Of  heresy  and  sect  ; 
And  bow  thy  knees  like  Paul, 

For  all  the  Lord's  elect  ! 
Pray  for  the  Church — I  mean 

For  Shem  and  Japhet  pray  ; 
And  Churches,  long  unseen. 

In  isles,  and  far  away  I 
«         « 
Now — even  for  heartless  Rome 

Appealing  to  the  Lord, 
Be  every  Church  an  home. 

And  Love  the  battle -word! 
The  Saints'  communion — one, 

One  Lord — one  faith — one  birth. 
Oh,  pray  to  GoD  the  Son, 

For  all  His  Church  on  earth."  * 

So  in  "  Trinity,  New  Church  "  ;  t     "  Chelsea  "  ;  t     "  Wildmins- 
ter  "  ;§  "  Nashotah  "'HI  "  S.  Sil  van's  Bell  "  ;  H  "  Daily  Service"  :— 

"One — in  Water  sanctified, 

Though  the  claim  be  long  forgot ; 
One — in  Blood  from  Jesu's  side. 

Though  proud  Trent  confess  it  not ; 
One — in  Spirit,  far  and  wide. 

With  each  ancient  part  and  lot  ; 
Mother,  let  me  ever  be 
One  with  Christ  and  one  with  Thee  !  "»* 


»  Id.  p.  SQ.     t   P.  117.     t   P.  14'-      §  P-  156.     II   P.  164. 

1  P.  171.  The  loveliest  of  all  these  poems,  I  think  ;  many  years  ago  I  could 
tell  the  Bishop  of  one  four-year-old  child  who  was  never  tired  of  hearing  it, 
though  it  was,  she  said  at  the  end,  "  an  awful  long  story  "  ;  and  some  older  peo- 
ple can  hardly  read  it  now  without  tears,  albeit  unshed. 

**  P.  172.  I  hope  my  readers  will  look  up  all  the  passages  I  have  «o/ quoted, 
for  themselves  ;  I  cannot  imagine  any  American  Churchman  not  having  Chris- 
tian  Ballads  within  reach.  I  could  easily  believe  what  I  was  told  more  than  once 


32  2  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

But  to  turn  to  more  mature  if  not  graver  publications.  In  1848-9, 
while  yet  a  young  Rector  at  Hartford,  he  wrote  for  B/acktvood's 
Magazine  several  articles  of  much  interest  on  the  European  conflicts 
and  partial  revolutions  of  1848,  and  the  contrasts  they  exhibited 
between  English  and  Continental  ideas  of  liberty  and  law,  and  the 
"conservatism"  of  the  Anglican  and  Tridentine  Churches.  The 
next  year  he  put  forth  in  a  letter  to  the  English  Chm-chman  (Nov.  1 1, 
1S50)  what  he  thinks,  and  I  believe  rightly,  was  the  first  suggestion 
of  the  first  Lambeth  Conference,  under  the  signature  of  '•  Presbyter 
Americanus,"  whose  suggestions  were  followed  in  much  of  the  action 
of  that  body.*  In  the  following  year,  after  the  long  sojourn  in  Eng- 
land of  which  he  has  told  so  charmingly  in  his  "  Impressions  of  Eng- 
land,"! he  spent  some  months  on  the  Continent,  and  met  at  Frei- 
burg the  venerable  Dr.  John  Baptist  Von  Hirscher,  then  Dean  and 
Professor  of  Christian  Ethics  in  the  University  of  that  city,  and 
regarded  in  Germany  as  ' '  the  Fenelon  of  the  nineteenth  century, "  "  the 
master  and  the  guide  of  Catholic  Germany,"  whom  even  Ultramon- 
tanes  designated  as  "illustrious."  He.  the  Bishop  says,  had  been 
' '  for  some  time  occupied  with  the  practical  work  of  contending  with 
the  prevailing  infidelity  of  the  Teutonic  mind,  and  endeavouring  to 
restore  the  German  people  to  a  loyal  regard  for  their  hereditary  reli- 
gion." 

"  Who,"  he  adds,  "  can  withhold  his  sympathy  from  such  an  effort 
in  a  country  where  to  be  a  Protestant  is  so  generally  another  term  for 

in  England,  that  they  were  more  widely  known  and  read  there  than  even  The 
Christian  Year.  "  To  those  who  love  not  the  Church,"  says  the  Preface  of 
1847,  "they  will  seem  as  idle  words,  but  they  tell  of  things  which  in  the  heart 
and  life  of  the  Catholic  are  dear  realiiies ;  realities  which  are  felt  though  they 
cannot  be  understood  by  the  world  ;  for  there  is  a  charm  in  the  religious  charac- 
ter which  they  help  to  form,  which  attracts  very  many  who  are  incapable  of  dis- 
covering the  secret  of  what  affects  them."  And  he  instances  Walton,  Hooker, 
Herbert,  Evelyn,  Wotton,  Laud,  Taylor,  Strafford,  Charles  I.,  widely  differing, 
yet  evidently  having  "  something  in  common  which  invests  them  with  no  ordi- 
nary glory,"  "  the  beauty  of  holiness  which  they  drew  from  the  breasts  of  the 
Church  in  which  they  lived  and  died." 

*  The  letter  is  quoted  in  the  Bishop's  Address,  Joum.  1868,  p.  63. 

t  Originally  written  for  the  Church  Jojtrnal,  1853  ;  afterwards  many  times 
re-printed  (my  ed.  of  1874  is  the  6th) ;  the  most  delightful  book  of  travels  I  ever 
saw,  except  perhaps  Curzon's  Monasteries  of  the  Levant.  Yet  to  how  many 
American  Churchmen  (and  Churchwomen)  have  I  found  it  a  book  unknown  ! 


Christian  Unity  323 

being  an  unbeliever?  Such  are  the  alternatives,  that  if  one  must 
choose  between  the  company  of  Strauss  and  that  of  Hirscher, — 
though  the  examples  are  certainly  extreme,  and  the  supposition,  thank 
God.  quite  gratuitous  with  us, — no  enlightened  Christian  could  hesi- 
tate to  approve  the  example  of  Schlcgel.  and  of  even  superior  men, 
whose  Romanism  has  been  only  a  reaction  against  infidelity,  and 
hence  nothing  but  a  tribute  to  Christianity  itself.  Such  seems  to 
have  been  the  motive  with  which,  in  1846,  Hirscher  published  the 
first  volume  of  his  Erprterunj^en,  or  '  Discussions  of  the  leading  reli- 
gious questions  of  the  day,'  .  .  a  complete  system  of  popular 
theology,"  which  the  Bishop  thinks  "  a  most  interesting  example  of 
diluted  Tridentinism,  an  ingenious  attempt  to  give  a  Catholic  and 
Scriptural  character  to  the  dogmatic  requirements  of  modern 
Rome." 

Following  on  the  second  part  of  this  treatise,  however,  came  one 
on  "  the  condition  of  the  Church,"  in  which  the  author  appears 
"foremost  in  a  general  and  spontaneous  movement  throughout  the 
Roman  Communion,"  pursuing,  as  the  Bishop  says,  "the  gradual 
and  judicious  way  "  of  the  English  Reformation,  "  in  which  step  after 
step  was  taken,  and  by  which  the  most  thorough  alterations  were 
introduced  with  no  break  in  the  continuous  life  of  the  Church."  He 
thinks  the  work  an  indication  that  "our  relations  to  other  parts  of 
Christendom  may  soon  become  much  nearer  than  they  have  been  for 
centuries,  and  that  prayer  may  hasten  the  time,  and  make  it  fruitful 
in  blessings  to  mankind."* 

The  first  work  of  the  young  Hartford  Rector  on  coming  home  was 
to  prepare  a  translation  of  Hirscher's  work,  which,  with  an  introduc- 
tion by  himself,  was  published  at  Oxford  in  1852  under  the  title  of 
"  Sympathies  of  the  Continent,"  and  attracted  at  once  wide  attention 
in  England  and  America.  The  book  sets  forth  briefly  and  boldly  the 
great  practical  needs  of  the  Churches  of  P2urope,  such  as  Diocesan 
Synods,  free  and  with  the  Laity ;  the  better  education  of  the  Clergy 
in  the  Universities  ;  discipline  under  provisions  of  the  Synod  ;  cate- 
chising by  Pastors  with  preparatory  instruction  by  teachers  ;  special 
pastoral  care  for  children,  maidens,  young  men,  unbelievers  ;  "  unions  " 
of  laymen  for  conference  on  Christian  duties  ;  a  vernacular  Liturgy, 
Holy  Communion  in  both  kinds,  reform  of  the  Confessional,  simpler 
ceremonial,  revision  of  Scripture  Lessons,  question  as  to  clerical  cel- 


*  Introd.  to  "  Sympathies  of  the  Continent,"  O.xford,  1S52,  pp.  24-38. 


324  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

ibacy,  abuse  of  masses  for  the  dead,  indulgences  and  saint-worship. 
In  other  words,  it  pleads  for  reforms  which,  as  the  Translator  points 
out,  constitute  the  very  character  and  work  of  the  English  Reforma- 
tion, and  especially  as  exhibited  (in  diocesan  synods,  for  instance)  in 
the  American  Church.  He  anticipates,  therefore,  its  result  in  some 
such  movements  for  reform  as  the  Old  Catholic  churches  on  the  Con- 
tinent have  since  brought  about,  movements  to  which  the  papal  decree 
of  1854  on  the  Immaculate  Conception  at  once  gave  new  life  and 
power. 

In  March,  1864,  in  Dr.  Coxe's  Church  (Calvary)  in  New  York, 
and  under  his  leadership,  was  founded  the  "  Christian  Unity  Society," 
whose  objects  were  the  promotion  of  goodwill  and  love  in  the  main- 
tenance of  Church  principles  ;  aiding  in  circulating  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures ;  publishing  works  on  the  English  Reformation  ;  helping  in 
"judicious  reforms"  among  foreign  Christians,  and  establishing 
American  chapels  abroad  ;  and  enlightening  our  own  countrymen  in 
regard  to  the  character  and  work  of  foreign  Churches,  "  to  draw  out 
their  prayers  and  labours  in  their  behalf. "  This  organization  included 
a  similar  movement  in  Philadelphia  in  consultation  with  the  Bishop 
and  leading  clergy  of  that  city,  and  among  those  taking  part  in  it 
were  Drs.  Mahan,  Howland,  Cotton  Smith  (chairman  of  the  first 
meeting),  Geer,  Montgomery,  and  John  Henry  Hopkins  ;  Dr.  Coxe 
being  the  Secretary  for  Foreign  Correspondence.  At  the  next  meet- 
ing he  reports  letters  of  sympathy  from  the  Church  Union  of  Boston, 
from  Denmark,  from  the  Abbe'  Guettee,  from  Count  Tasca  (then  the 
leader  of  the  Catholic  Reformers  of  Italy),  and  from  "a  learned 
divine  "  of  Lima,  Peru.  At  this  meeting  we  find  the  names  of  Drs. 
Howe,  Leeds,  Clarkson  and  Huntington,  and  Mr.  John  H.  Swift,  who 
gave  an  interesting  account  of  his  personal  intercourse  with  the  lead- 
ers of  Catholic  Reform  in  Italy.  The  Rev.  E.  W.  Syle,  from  the 
China  Mission,  told  of  similar  experiences  with  Roman  and  Russian 
missionaries  in  that  land.  Three  Moravians — two  clergymen  and  one 
layman — were  introduced  and  took  part  in  the  discussion. 

Other  meetings  followed  during  the  next  year,  in  all  of  which  Dr.  Coxe 
seems  to  have  taken  a  leading  part.  In  June,  1864,  he  preached  a 
sermon  on  Christian  Unity  before  the  Associate  Alumni  at  the  Com- 
mencement of  the  General  Theological  Seminary.  In  the  following 
March,  two  months  after  his  consecration,  he  gave  by  special  request 


ARTHL-R  CLEVF.LAND  COXK 


Christian   Unity  325 

an  Address  before  an  assembly  of  various  Protestant  denominations 
called  the  "Christian  Union  Association,"  following  a  Dutch 
Reformed  Minister  (Dr.  Vermilye)  who  maintained  that  all  questions 
of  Orders  and  Sacraments  must  be  given  up  as  unnecessary,  and  a 
Baptist  whose  idea  of  unity  was  for  each  (especially  the  IJaptists)  to 
"  give  up  nothing"  of  the  truth  given  to  ^/w.  In  reply  the  IJishop 
pointed  out  that  while  all  who  heard  him  were  willing  to  acknowledge 
the  Nicene  Creed,  any  real  unity  was  impossible  except  in  One  Body, 
whatever  it  might  be  called,  whose  Orders  and  Sacraments  were 
beyond  all  question.  His  address  made  a  deep  impression  on  many 
of  those  present,  but  of  course  led  to  no  united  or  corporate 
action.  His  leadership  of  the  Christian  Unity  Society  ceased  with  his 
entering  on  his  Episcopal  work,  and  after  a  year  or  two  more  that  asso- 
ciation seems  to  have  disbanded,  and  its  place  to  have  been  taken  for 
a  time  by  the  "  American  Church  Union,"  an  organization  in  which 
"  Low  Churchmen"  had  no  part. 

ln\h&  C/inn/i  yoiirnai  of  Nov.  17,  1SC9,  we  find  the "  Reply 
of  an  American  Bishop  (Monsignor  Coxe,  Bishop  of  Western 
New  York,  one  of  the  most  learned  and  eloquent  representatives  of 
the  Angl'can  hierarchy  in  America)  to  the  Pope's  invitation  to  the 
coming  CEcumenical  Council,"  translated  from  Professor  Nash's 
Italian  version  for  the  Florence  Esamiiiatore.  The  Letter  was  widely 
published  at  home,  and  circulated  in  various  languages  in  Europe,  and 
the  Bishop  says  in  his  Address  of  1870  that  the  Greek  version  had 
been  useful  "  throughout  the  East,  not  only  in  displaying  the  position 
and  spirit  of  our  own  Occidental  Church,  but  also  in  reminding  our 
Eastern  brethren  that  they  have  duties  at  this  crisis  which  nothing 
can  so  well  fit  them  to  discharge  as  the  renewed  study  of  Scripture 
and  Antiquity.  .  .  Now  is  the  time  when  the  renovation  of  a  Catho- 
lic and  primitive  spirit  is  all  that  is  wanted  to  give  the  Church  and  the 
Gospel  their  legitimate  power  and  free  course  throughout  the  world." 
The  Bishop  spent  most  of  this  year  abroad,  much  of  the  time  in  Italy, 
and  had  good  opportunity  to  see  the  effect  of  this  celebrated  letter,  espe- 
cially among  Italians  who  w-ere  seeking  after  a  purer  teaching  and 
practical  reforms.  I  cannot  begin  to  give  even  an  outline  of  it  here; 
those  who  have  not  read  it  must  imagine  what  one  like  Bishop  Coxe 
must  have  made  of  such  an  opportunity.* 


*  The  Bishop  gives  the  results  of  his  year  abroad  quite    fully    in   a    series   of 


326  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

I  can  refer  to  but  one  more  utterance  of  this  part  of  his  Episco- 
pate, and,  as  it  seems  to  me,  the  best  of  all  as  a  vindication  of  the 
Catholic  position  and  principles  of  the  American  Church, — an  article 
for  the  second  volume  of  the  Church  and  the  Age  (Murray,  Lon- 
don, 1872),  published  also  in  the    Chu7-ch  Review  of  January,  1872. 

Speaking  of  the  obviously  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  American 
Church  in  England,  derived  chiefly  from  English  authors  of  past  years 
and  brief  notes  of  travel,  he  suggests  that  if  "some  well-qualified 
divine  could  spend  a  year  or  more  among  us,"  the  visit  might  be 
fraught  wiih  benefit  to  the  Scottish  and  Colonial  Churches  at  least,  in 
enabling  them  to  profit  by  our  experience  and  even  our  past  mistakes. 
The  American  Church  came  into  corporate  life  in  1783,  as  the  first 
since  the  days  of  Theodosius  in  an  absolutely  primitive  position — 
neither  persecuted  nor  established — only,  for  the  time,  without 
Bishops.  Naturally  some  mistakes  were  made,  such  as  the  "  Pro- 
posed Book,"  the  undue  shortening  of  some  services,  and  the  omis- 
sion of  the  Athanasian  Creed  ;*  but  these  were  more  than  offset, 
even  in  Bishop  Seabury's  judgment,  by  the  restoration  of  the  Oblation 
from  the  Scottish  Communion  Office,  and  by  the  voluntary  adoption  of 
the  English  Articles  «<?/as  terms  of  Communion.  "A  much  more  humil- 
iating token"  of  our  position  at  that  day  was  the  consent  of  even  ' '  the 
Catholic  Seabury  to  permit  our  truly  Apostolic  Church  to  be  known, even 
in  its  external  conditions,  as  '  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America.'  I  hold  this  to  be  a  jumble  of  words 
which  nothing  but  familiarity  can  render  tolerable  to  an  enlightened 
mind.  .  .  But  the  shameful  misuse  of  the  word  '  Catholic,'  which 
still  continues  to  disgrace  the  literature  of  England,  and  which  daily 
blemishes  the  speech  and  writings  even  of  Englishmen  who  are 
scholars,  and  who  profess  to  be  Churchmen,  was  in  those  days  yet 
more  inveterately  established.  .  .  That  Catholicity  is  the  only 
Frotestantism  which  Rome  dreads^  was  not  yet  known  by  many,  even 
among  our  sound  divines.       It  is  even  now  only  just  beginning  to  be 

lectures  on  "The  Signs  of  the  Times,"  delivered  in  Rochester  and  other  places 
in  1870,  and  published  in  Rochester  that  year.  It  is  prefaced  by  a  letter  from 
Bishop  De  Lancey  (1854)  to  Dr.  Van  Ingen,  in  answer  to  a  memorial  from  him 
and  other  clergymen  of  the  Diocese  on  Christian  Unity.  The  substance  of  the 
letter  is  in  one  sentence  :  "The  schemes  of  union  founded  on  compromise  of 
principles,  or  on  the  suppression  of  any  truth  which  God  has  thought  fit  to  dis- 
close to  men,  cannot  hope  for  the  Divine  blessing,  and  must  of  necessity  prove 
ultimately  fallacious." 

*  But  here  the  Bishop  seems  to  forget  that  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in 
1787  tacitly  approved  of  this  omission  under  the  circumstances  in  America.  See 
Bp.  White's  Memoirs,^.  149.    (Ed.  1880.) 


The  Old  Catholics  327 

seen  by  thousands  of  intcllif^onl  men  among  ourselves  ;  but  the  '  Old 
Catholics'  of  (iermany  arc  forcing  it  upon  the  conviction  of  all  who 
are  in  real  conflict  with  Rome.  .  .  Nor  can  any  tribute  be  paid 
to  the  Papacy  more  entirely  acceptable,  than  the  surrender  to  its 
followers  of  the  Catholic  name,  \ts />rt:s(/]ife,  and  its  logical  force." 

Then  the  Bishop  points  out  certain  practical  reforms  accomplished 
in  the  American  Church,  such  as  the  admission  of  the  Laity  to  its 
^^ynods,  and  its  Greek  Mission  in  recognition  of  the  ancient  Church  of 
Greece,  evidencing  that  we  are  essentially  '*  Old  Catholics,"  needing 
now  only  a  reform  of  the  '"  hasty  and  inaccurate"  liturgical  work  of 
1789  [which  was  brought  about  twenty  years  later]  to  bring  the  .\mer- 
ican  Prayer  Book  "  to  as  high  a  degree  of  perfection  as  the  professed 
principles  of  our  Church  demand."  He  speaks  the  more  freely  of 
these  things  because  "he  abhors  Romanism,  as  Bishop  Bull  did,  not 
as  a  Protestant,  but  as  a  Catholic." 

In  his  Address  of  187  i  the  Bishop  reminds  his  Diocese  that  "  in 
the  days  of  Cyprian  it  was  counted  none  the  less  a  duty  to  bear  witness 
as  touching  the  Common  Faith,  because  theirs  was  a  remote  branch  of 
the  Church  in  Africa"  ;  and  he  means  that  "his  Council  shall  never 
meet  without  being  reminded  of  its  place  and  its  duty  in  the  Church 
Universal."  So  he  calls  on  them  to  remember  in  their  prayers  those 
who,  though  they  wisely  call  themselves  "  Old  Catholics,"  are  in  that 
very  name  one  with  us  "  who  go  back  to  the  grand  old  undisputed 
Councils  of  Primitive  Antiquity,  and  to  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  those 
Councils  understood  them."  lean  only  allude  to  his  enthusiastic 
commendation  and  anticipations  of  the  work  of  the  Old-Catholic  Con- 
gress of  1872  in  his  Address  of  that  year, — a  gathering,  it  will  be 
remembered,  of  special  interest  from  the  presence  of  the  great  Bishop 
(Whittingham)  of  Maryland  as  a  representative  of  our  Church.  The 
presence  of  the  Old-Catholic  Bishop  Herzog  in  our  Diocesan  Council 
of  18S0,  and  Bishop  Coxe's  words  of  welcome  to  him,  hardly  need  to 
be  recalled. 


CHAPTER    XLVI 


EDUCATIONAL   WORK,    1880-96 

iHE  general  progress  and  work  of  the  Diocese  during  the 
last  half  of  Bishop  Coxe's  Episcopate  can  be  traced 
in  great  part  from  his  annual  Addresses  to  the  Council, 
which,  though  not  complete  and  systematic,  like  Bishop 
De  Lancey's,  never  fail  to  bring  to  view  the  chief  mat- 
ters of  diocesan  interest. 

The  statistics  of  numerical  growth  during  those  sixteen  years  are  not 
discouraging,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Western  New  York  had  long 
since  ceased  to  increase  rapidly  in  population,  and  that  such  growth 
as  there  was  for  the  most  part  depleted  the  country  to  benefit  the 
larger  towns.  From  1880  to  1896  the  number  of  clergy  increased 
from  103  to  121,  although  66  of  the  former  number  had  been  lost  to 
the  Diocese  by  decease  or  removal  ;  the  Candidates  for  Orders  from 
8  to  12,  having  averaged  a  little  less  than  8  all  the  time  ;  but  even 
the  largest  number,  it  must  be  noted,  is  much  less  than  the  average 
of  Bishop  De  Lancey's  day,  which  was  between  17  and  18.*  The 
parishes  and  missions  were  127  instead  of  115;  apparently  the 
Church's  organic  work  had  reached  just  twelve  new  places  in  sixteen 
years,  but  this  is  hardly  a  fair  inference,  as  the  unorganized  missions 
(or  places  where  regular  or  frequent  services  were  held)  were  much 
more  numerous  than  in  1880.  There  were  123  churches  instead  of 
96,  and  68  rectories  instead  of  46,  both  these  items  indicating  a  con- 
siderable advance  in  the  permanent  planting  of  the  Church.  The 
aggregate  of  communicants,  though  grown  from  12,860  to  18,960, 
shows  a  gain  on  the  population  of  only  i  in  61  as  against  i  in  73, 
which  seems  less  than  might  be  expected,  t     The  total  of  offerings  for 

*  But  this  falling-off  was  pretty  much  the  same  all  over  the  country. 

t  But  the  proportion  in  the  old  Diocese  at  Bishop  Coxe's  accession  (1S65)  was 
I  to  104,  and  in  the  present  Diocese  five  years  later  (1870)  i  to  85.  The  latest 
practicable  comparison  (1900)  gives  i  to  60,  which  is  a  gain  of  75  per  cent,  since 
1865,  and  175  per  cent,  in  50  years.  This  apparent  gain  is  slightly  diminished  by 
the  fact  that  the  reports  of  50  years  ago  were  much  less  accurate  than  they  are 
now;  those  of  1865,  on  the  other  hand,  are  quite  as  trustworthy.  In  both  the 
latter  years  they  include  a  careful  estimate  of  communicants  not  reported. 


Educational  Work  329 

parochial  objects  is  $258,389  instead  of  $209,165;  for  diocesan 
objects  $27,812  instead  of  $32,706,  for  extra-diocesan  objects  $16,- 
044  instead  of  $11,016;  in  all  $302,245  instead  of  $252,888.  But 
these  last  statistics  across  an  interval  of  sixteen  years  do  not  show 
clearly  the  actual  gain  in  this  direction,  and  certainly  indicate  rather 
loss  than  gain,  when  compared  with  the  greatly  increased  wealth  of 
almost  every  town  and  village  in  the  Diocese. 

In  the  education  of  children  and  youth  by  the  Church  there  was, 
as  I  have  noted  before,  a  decided  falling  off,  even  the  Sunday-scholars 
being  less  in  proportion  to  population  (12,016  reported  as  against 
10.230  in  1880),*  while  in  boarding-schools  and  day-schools  of  all 
grades  there  is  a  great  loss.  S.  Margaret's  School  had  been  estab- 
lished, and  was  (and  still  is)  doing  an  excellent  work  in  Buffalo 
(mostly  for  day-scholars),  and  the  Ue  Lancey  School  on  a  smaller 
scale  (mostly  for  boarding-pupils)  in  Geneva  ;  the  Car)'  School  at 
Oakfield  maintained  itself,  though  with  small  numbers,  against  the 
strong  competition  of  the  public  school  ;  and  these,  with  one  small 
Church  school  for  girls  in  Rochester,  were  about  all  that  I  can  call  to 
mind.  I  do  not  include  De  Veaux  College,  which  has  a  special  his- 
tory of  its  own  which  must  be  given  in  outline. 

The  controversy  of  1873-80  over  the  "Term  Pupil  Department" 
was  practically  en  Jed  in  1882-3,  partly  by  an  amendment  of  the  Act 
of  Incorporation  which  placed  the  appointment  of  the  Trustees  under 
the  control  of  the  Council,  and  parti}'  by  a  much  more  economical  finan- 
cial management,  at  the  cost  however  of  some  dilapidation  of  the  build- 
ings for  the  want  of  timely  repairs,  and  with  an  average  of  less  than  13 
Foundationers  and  53  Term  Pupils  during  the  ten  years  following  Mr. 
Patterson's  resignation  in  1S80.  Otherwise  the  School  was  efficiently 
kept  up  under  the  Head  Master,  Mr.  Wilfred  H.  Munro,  and  the 
Chaplain,  the  Rev.  Frank  P.  Harrington  (Hobart  1873).  By  this 
time  the  Alumni  of  the  College  had  grown  into  a  body  respectable  in 
numbers  and  social  and  business  or  professional  standing,  and  formed 
an  Association  to  promote  its  interests,  which  in  1886  contributed 
some  $1,500  towards  the  building  of  a  much-needed  chapel  ;  one  of 
the  larger  school-rooms  having  been  thus  far   used  for  that  purpose. 

*The  population  of  the  Diocese  being  in  iSSo,  933,000;  in  1S96,  as  nearly  as 
I  can  find,  1,160,000,  a  little  less  than  25  per  cent,  more,  while  the  Sunday- 
scholars  increased  about  three-fourths  as  much  per  cent. 


330  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

The  next  year,  June  lo,  1887,  the  corner-stone  of  "  S,  Ambrose's 
Chapel  "  was  laid  by  the  Bishop  with  impressive  ceremonial,  and  in 
presence  of  a  large  congregation,  including  several  of  the  clergy  of  the 
Diocese  of  Niagara.  In  his  Address  the  Bishop  reminded  his  audi- 
ence that 

"  There  was  no  true  education  but  that  which  was  baptized  in  the 
Name  of  Christ  ;  and  the  heathen  civilization  of  old,  which  knew 
not  Christ,  had  no  education  in  the  highest  meaning  of  the  term.  Our 
Public  School  system  will  be  a  real  education,  and  deserve  our  sup- 
port as  Christians  and  citizens,  only  so  far  as  it  continues  to  be  ruled 
by  the  fundamental  principles  of  Christianity  which  underlie  our  whole 
history  and  character  as  a  nation.  .  .  But  our  "  Founder's  Day  "* 
commemorates  a  Christian  layman  who  saw  the  need  of  a  higher  and 
more  definite  training  than  common  schools  could  give,  and  more 
than  thirty  years  ago  gave  the  munificent  endowment  which  has 
founded  De  Veaux  College.  Its  history  during  these  years  has  abun- 
dantly vindicated  the  principles  of  its  foundation,  and  they  need  now 
no  defence  nor  apology.  Its  own  Alumni  have  now  undertaken  a 
noble  work  in  the  erection  of  this  chapel  to  be  the  enduring  memo- 
rial of  their  own  belief  in  Christian  truth  as  the  corner-stone  of  all 
true  education." 

Speeches  of  congratulation  were  made  by  the  Dean  (Geddes)  of 
Niagara  and  others  of  the  visitors,  and  a  very  bright  and  interesting 
address  to  the  Associate  Alumni  by  their  President,  Herbert  P.  Bis- 
sell  of  Buffalo,  to  whom,  as  to  the  Bishop,  even  the  boys  listened 
with  intense  interest. 

"  If  ever}doyal  son  of  De  Veaux,"  he  said,  "  will  but  labour  ear- 
nestly and  constantly  for  the  advancement  and  success  of  this  insti- 
tution, so  beautifully  situated  within  sight  of  one  of  the  most  magni- 
ficent wonders  of  nature,  and  equipped  with  the  best  means  of 
furnishing  the  boys  with  that  training  which  forms  the  highest  grade 
of  character,  I  believe  that  some  of  us  will  yet  live  to  see  yonder 
green  transformed  into  an  Etonian  quadrangle,  and  hundreds  of  boys 
enjoying  the  opportunities  of  this  School.  .  .  This  we  owe  as  a 
duty  to  our  God  ;  we  owe  it  as  a  duty  to  our  Alma  Mater  ;  and 
finally  we  owe  it  as  a  duty  to  our  country ;  for,  in  the  words  of  Roger 
Ascham,  '  If  youth  be  grafted  straight  and  not  awry,  the  whole  com- 
monwealth will  flourish  thereafter.'  "  He  hoped  that  "  the  sons  of 
De  Veaux  would  some  day  erect  a  statue  of  their  Benefactor  on  the 
Campus." 


*  The  annual   Commencement  of  De  Veaux  is  called  "  Founder's    Day,"  be- 
ing as  near  as  possible  to  the  birthday  of  Judge  De  Veaux. 


S.   Amurose's  Chapel  331 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Van  Bokkelen,  Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  HufTalo, 
followed  with  an  offer  to  p;ive  the  tirst  hiuulreci  dollars  towards  the 
proposed  statue.  "  God  save  the  State  "  was  heartily  sung,  accom- 
panied by  the  band,  and  the  usual  collation,  drill  and  parade  (with 
the  unusual  addition  of  an  impromptu  parade  of  some  thirty  of  the 
"  Old  Boys  "  present)  closed  a  very  memorable  and  delightful  day. 

The  foundations  of  the  chapel  being  thus  laid,  the  Trustees  asked 
the  approval  of  the  Diocesan  Council  of  18S7  to  the  expenditure  of  a 
portion  of  the  surplus  income  from  the  Term  Pupil  Department  on 
the  building,  the  completion  of  which  would,  it  was  urged,  bring  in  a 
much  larger  income  from  additional  pupils  in  the  rooms  now  used  for 
a  chapel.  The  Council  did  not  act  on  the  request,  but  the  foundation 
was  nevertheless  finished.  Mr.  Munro  resigned  in  January,  1889, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Reginald  H.  Coe,  an  Alumnus  of  S. 
Stephen's  College,  and  then  a  Candidate  for  Orders  ;  a  tine  scholar 
and  teacher,  and  with  special  sympathy  for  boys.  This  appointment 
was  not  made  till  after  long  and  fruitless  efforts  to  confer  with  the 
Bishop,  who,  as  it  happened,  was  ill  or  away  nearly  all  the  time  that 
it  was  under  consideration,  and  only  at  the  last  moment  sent  in 
another  nomination  which  the  Trustees  could  not  accept.  The  result 
was  a  serious  difference  lasting  for  several  years,  and  proving  eventually 
a  great  injury  tc  the  School.  The  Bishop  insisted  that  his  rights  as 
"  Visitor  "*  were  not  duly  respected  in  making  an  appointment  with- 
out personal  conference  with  him  ;  the  Trustees,  that  they  had  waited 
until  the  School  could  no  longer  be  left  without  a  Head.  Mr.  Coe 
did  not  take  Orders,  finding  the  charge  of  the  School,  as  he  thought, 
incompatible  with  the  duties  of  a  Priest,  and  Mr.  Harrington  was 
retained  as  Chaplain  until  1893,  when  his  place  was  filled  for  a  short 
time  by  the  Rev.  Henry  S.  Huntington,  and  later  by  the  Rev. 
William  F.  Shero. 

In  1891  a  large  addition  ($37,848)  was  made  to  the  endowment 
from  the  sale  of  a  part  of  the  "College  Farm,"  land  which  had 
hitherto  produced  no  income  beyond  the  cost  of  working  it,  making 
the  whole  amount  $153,029.25,  and  similar  sales  of  unproductive  land 
in  1893  increased  the  fund  to  $191,836.47.  The  number  of  founda- 
tioners was  increased  to  23,  and  in  1895  to  30,  and,  with  the  approval 
of  the  Bishop  and  Standing  Committee,  large  additions  were  made  in 


*  lie  had  resigned  as  Trustee  in   1S81. 


332  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

that  year  to  the  buildings,  including  a  chapel  and  schoolrooms  on  the 
foundations  laid  in  1887,  laundry,  infirmary,  chaplain's  house,  and 
gate-lodge,  besides  many  costly  but  greatly-needed  repairs  and 
improvements  in  the  old  buildings,  amounting  in  all  to  the  large  sum 
of  ^37,273.35.  The  greater  part  of  this  expenditure  was  replaced 
by  the  sale  of  a  right  of  way  under  the  bank  of  the  Niagara  River 
(land  of  no  value  except  for  this  purpose)  for  a  "  Gorge  Railway," 
for  $30,000.     In  1896 the  endowment  was  reported  at  $183,295.76.* 

The  value  of  land,  buildings  and  other  property  not  producing 
income  is  reported  for  the  same  year  as  $661,002.49.! 

On  the  Founder's  Day  of  1894,  June  19,  the  new  Chapel  was 
opened  by  the  Bishop  with  a  special  service  of  Benediction  (not  con- 
secrated because  not  meant  to  be  permanently  a  chapel),  and  an 
admirable  address  on  the  history  and  work  of  the  School,  which  he 
promised  and  intended  to  have  published,  but  never  did.  About 
thirty  of  the  clergy  of  the  Diocese  and  a  very  large  congregation 
were  present. 

The  service  was  followed  by  the  usual  address  to  the  graduating 
class,  the  collation  and  drill,  and  the  whole  day  was  one  of  much 
interest  and  enjoyment.  The  Chapel  is  a  simple  but  very  beautiful 
choir  and  ante-chapel,  in  all  85'x35',  with  a  tower  containing  the  large 
bell,  which,  with  the  altar  and  much  of  the  furniture,  had  been  given 


*  The  Trustees  had  proposed  in  1892  to  erect  on  the  chapel  foundation  a  build- 
ing with  a  lower  story  of  stone  for  schoolrooms,  and  an  upper  one  of  wood  for  a 
temporary  chapel,  at  a  cost  of  ^7,000.  The  Bishop  and  Standing  Committee, 
whose  consent  was  necessary  to  such  appropriation,  advised  a  more  permanent 
building  wholly  of  stone,  in  harmony  with  the  main  building.  Plans  for  this 
building  at  ^11,000  were  deemed  insufficient,  and  others  at  ^16,000  were 
approved,  besides  $8,000  for  laundry,  infirmary  and  chaplain's  bouse.  In  the  end 
the  repairs  and  improvements  which  long  neglect  had  made  necessary  in  the  main 
building,  brought  the  total  expenditure  to  nsarly  $38,000,  which  was  subsequently 
approved  by  the  Bishop  and  the  Committee.  I  put  this  on  record  because  the 
Trustees  were  severely  and  unjustly  censured  for  this  large  outlay,  which,  aside 
from  the  question  of  its  expediency,  was  needed  and  properly  expended  for  the 
work  actually  done. 

t  This  is  of  course  only  an  estimated  value,  and  is  the  balance  after  deducting 
the  endowment  fund  of  $183,295.76  from  the  sum  total  reported,  which  is 
$844,298.25.  See  Report,  Journ.  1896,  p.  76.  In  1903  (Jan.  15)  the  endowment 
fund  is  stated  to  be  $217,222.90,  having  been  further  increased  by  sales  of  land 
amounting  to  $38,319.50  during  the  previous  year. 


De  Veaux  College,  1880-96  333 

long  before,  mostly  as  memorials.  It  has  a  cradle-roof  of  good 
height,  and  is  fitted  appropriately  with  stall-seats  for  the  masters 
and  pupils  and  with  others  across  the  ante-chapel. 

I  have  said  before  (Ch.  XLIII.)  that  the  Diocese  as  a  whole  had 
never  heartily  supported  Bishop  Coxe's  plan  of  extending  the  work  of 
the  College  by  the  "  Term- Pupil  Department."  Had  it  done  so,  we 
should  have  long  since  realized  what  was  one  of  the  great  ideals  of 
his  whole  Episcopate, — the  founding  of  a  noble  Diocesan  School  fur- 
nishing a  liberal  education  for  rich  and  poor  alike.  So  long  as  the 
Term-Pupil  Department  more  than  provided  for  its  cost  and  the 
additional  outlay  in  buildings  and  equipment,  there  was  no  outspoken 
opposition.  But  the  large  expenditure  of  iS93-4for  these  purposes 
brought  out  renewed  complaints  of  "extravagance  "  and  "  misman- 
agement," complaints  which  were  not  at  all  appeased  by  the  fact 
that  the  work  was  done  with  the  entire  approval  and  largely  by  the 
direction  of  the  Bishop  and  Standing  Committee,  though  neither  they 
nor  the  Trustees  had  anticipated  such  an  outlay  as  finally  became 
necessary.  At  the  Council  of  1895  the  annual  Committee  on  the 
College  brought  in  a  report  reflecting  somewhat  severely  on  the  action 
of  the  Trustees,  and  it  was  considered  all  through  one  evening  in 
Committee  of  the  Whole,  with  the  result  that  a  recommendation  to 
discontinue  the  term-nupil  department  was  stricken  from  the  report, 
and  when,  thus  amended,  it  was  reported  to  the  Council,  permission 
to  print  it  was  refused  by  a  very  decided  vote.  This,  I  may  add, 
was  largely  owing  to  the  Bishop's  vigorous  defence  of  the  policy  of 
the  Trustees,  which  was  also  his  own  from  the  first.  But  the  next 
year  the  contest  was  renewed  with  still  more  determination  by 
the  opponents,  and  after  a  debate  lasting  till  nearly  midnight,  a 
vote  to  suspend  the  term-pupil  department  for  five  years  was 
carried,  in  a  very  thin  house,  by  a  majority  of  eight  of  each  order. 
The  Bishop  acquiesced  in  this  action,  and  even  advised  it,  as  "  a 
conciliatory  course,"  but  the  whole  result,  the  apparent  overthrow 
of  the  plans  and  hopes  of  thirty  years,  was  a  deep  and  bitter  disap- 
pointment to  him,  and  had  unquestionably  no  slight  part  in  the 
failure  of  health  and  strength  which  just  two  months  from  that  day 
took  him  to  his  rest.  * 


*  I  say  this  from  what  the   Bishop  said  to  me  again  and  again  ;   it  is  of  course 
only  my  own  conviction.     Although  it  is  going  beyond  the  limit  I   have  set  for 


334  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

I  add  only  his  own  words  from  his  last  Address  to  his  Diocese. 

"  I  wish,  instead  of  so  much  talk  and  waste  of  words,  you  would 
second  my  long  and  anxious  counsels  for  De  Veaux,  and  enable 
it  to  realize  the  grand  ideal  of  its  munificent  founder.  What  that 
ideal  was,  his  Will  sufficiently  indicates.  Remember  these  three  facts: 
(i)  It  was  not  to  be  an  Orphan  Asylum  or  a  reformatory,  but  a  great 
polytechnic  school  ;  (2)  the  State  Legislature  so  understood  it,  and 
chartered  it  as  a  •'  College"  ;  and  (3)  its  whole  character  and  develop- 
ment were  entrusted  by  Judge  De  Veaux  to  this  Council,  which,  year 
after  year,  and  as  the  result  of  conflicting  views  and  experiments,  has 
decided  that  it  cannot  be  made  to  answer  the  founder's  designs, 
except  by  throwing  all  its  running  expenses  upon  pay  pupils  who  can 
sustain  competent  professors  and  teachers,  thus  leaving  the  entire 
income  of  the  estate  to  the  support  of  foundationers.  Long  since  all 
this  might  have  been  realized,  and  De  Veaux  would  have  had  at  least 
two  hundred  pay  pupils  and  as  many  beneficiaries.  The  examples  of 
S.  Paul's,  Concord,  and  of  the  schools  at  Groton  and  Southborough, 
demonstrate  this  as  a  true  thing  and  not  a  theory." 

And,  after  the  final  action  of  the  Council,  he  can  still  hopefully 
say, 

"  Already  we  see  the  rainbow  of  peace,  and  it  promises  enlarged 
prosperity  for  the  noble  foundation  of  Judge  De  Veaux.       You  will 

this  history,  I  must  add  that  on  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Coe  the  next  year,  the  Rev. 
Wilham  Stanley  Barrows,  M.A.,  of  Trinity  and  Hobart,  was  appointed  Head 
Master  and  Chaplain,  and  under  his  wise,  faithful  and  efficient  administration  the 
work  of  the  School  in  its  contracted  sphere  has  been  carried  on  with  great 
good  judgment  and  success.  On  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  suspension  in  1901, 
the  restoration  of  the  term-pupil  department  was  deferred  to  await  a  decision  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York  on  the  construction  of  Judge  DeVeaux's  Will 
in  that  resuect.  The  present  Bi-^hop  of  the  Diocese  was  elected  Trustee  in  1897, 
and  by  the  Statutes  adopted  in  1899  is  made  ex-officio  P  resident  of  that  Board 
as  well  as  official  Visitor  of  the  College ;  and  in  all  these  relations  has  constantly 
shown  the  deepest  interest  in  its  welfare.  The  good  understanding  between 
Bishop  Coxe  and  the  Trustees,  which  had  been  so  sadly  broken  by  the  circum- 
stances attending  the  appointment  of  the  Head  Master  in  1889,  was  fully 
restored  in  1893,  3^"*^  he  resumed  from  that  time  the  exercise  of  his  office  as 
Visitor.  It  was  my  happy  privilege  to  have  much  personal  share  in  this  renewal 
of  pleasant  relations.  From  1883  the  Trustees  were  chosen  annually  by  the 
Diocesan  Council,  and  some  of  them  who  served  for  a  long  term  of  years  deserve 
to  be  commemorated  for  their  devoted  and  unselfish  work  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  School ;  especially  Drs.  Windsor  and  Hitchcock,  Mr.  Peter  D.  Walter  and 
the  Hon.  John  H.  Buck  of  Lockport,  all  now  deceased.  More  faithful  service 
than  theirs  was  never  given  to  any  Institution  of  the  Church. 


HOBART    COI.I.F.C.E,    1880-96.  335 

find  that  a  five  years'  trial  can  be  so  utilized  for  restoring  and  build- 
ings up  that  splendid  institute  in  its  financial  and  beneficent  future, 
that  it  will  be  the  glory  of  the  Diocese,  as  our  unfortunate  differences 
about  it  have  been  for  twenty  years  the  sole  blemish  on  our  annual 
Councils."  * 

In  Hobart  College  there  was  a  steady  advance  during  all  these 
years  both  in  means  of  usefulness  from  increased  endowments,  and 
enlarged  and  higher  courses  of  study,  though,  as  always,  its  chief  and 
best  work  was  in  the  foundations  of  all  true  intellectual  and  literary 
culture,  Latin,  Greek  and  Mathematics.  Of  the  Faculty  elected  on 
or  shortly  after  the  re-organization  of  1869-70,  Professor  Hamilton 
L.  Smith  (in  Natural  Sciences),  Joseph  H.  M'Daniels  (Greek), 
Francis  P.  Nash  (Latin),  and  Charles  D.  Vail  (Rhetoric  and  English 
Literature),  the  last  three  still  remain  after  thirty  years  and  more  of 
untiring  and  excellent  work  ;  Professor  Smith,  after  thirty-five  years' 
service,  died  Aug.  i,  1903,  honoured  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
him.  Dr.  Ayrault  gave  the  last  seven  years  of  his  Priesthood,  from 
1875  till  his  decease,  Oct.  19,  1882,  as  the  third  Chaplain  (succeeding 
Bishop  Neely  and  Pelham  Williams)  on  the  "John  H.  Swift  Founda- 
tion." I  have  spoken  of  him  more  than  once  before  as  associated 
with  all  the  best  years  and  work  of  the  Diocese.  He  was  succeeded 
in  1884  by  William  M.  Hughes  (Hobart  187 1)  from  S.John's  Church, 
Buffalo,  and  in  1887  by  Dr.  R.  R.  Converse,  from  Corning,  now 
Rector  of  S.  Luke's,  Rochester  The  President  of  1876,  Dr.  Robert 
G.  Hinsdale,  had  to  resign  in  1883  from  ill-health,  after  seven  years' 
faithful  and  successful  work,  and  from  1884  the  oflfice  was  filled  for 
twelve  years  by  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott  Potter,  a  son  of  the  third  Bishop 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  previously  President  of  Union  College.  His 
term  was  the  longest  in  the  history  of  the  College,  except  Dr.  Hale's, 
and,  with  a  larger  and  more  efficient  Faculty,  and  more  students  than 
ever  before,  attained  a  yet  higher  standard  in  many  respects.  Ho- 
bart still  is,  and  probably  always  will  be,  a  "  small  college,"  not  a 
University  ;  but  she  can,  and  ought  to,  fill  a  place  in  Christian  Edu- 
cation second  to  none  in  the  country.  \\'hether  she  will  do  it  so  as 
to  justify  her  existence,  and  her  endowments  from  the  Churchmen  of 
past  and  present  days,  will  depend  very  much,  as  it  seems  to  me, 
on  the  degree  in  which  she  preserves  and  makes  practical  the  true  ideal 


Joum.  1896,  pp.  63,  68. 


336  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

of  what  Christian  education  \s,,\h.z.t  training  of  the  threefold  nature 
of  man  for  which  Hobart  and  De  Lancey  and  Hale  and  Jackson  and 
Coxe  gave  the  best  of  their  noble  lives.* 

The  De  Lancey  Divinity  School,  continuing  from  year  to  year  its 
quiet  and  humble  but  most  useful  work  in  Geneva  under  Dr.  Rankine, 
received  in  1882  a  large  addition  to  its  endowments,  from  bequests 
by  Mrs.  Mary  Clark  Proctor  of  Rochester,  and  from  1883  had  as  an 
additional  instructor,  chiefly  in  Biblical  Learning,  the  Rev.  William 
B.  Edson,  D.D.,  Rector  of  the  little  parish  of  Phelps,  a  Harvard 
graduate  and  an  accomplished  scholar,  who  gave  devotedly  the  last 
and  best  years  of  his  life,  through  constant  suffering  from  disease,  to 
the  double  work  of  a  Parish  Priest  and  a  teacher  in  Theology.  He 
died  in  1892,  and  it  was  my  privilege  to  succeed  him  as  the  colleague 
and  helper  of  my  life-long  friend  Dr.  Rankine  until  he  was  taken  to 
his  rest  Dec.  16,  1896.  At  that  time  the  School,  from  its  beginning 
at  Hobart  under  Dr.  Wilson,  had  given  training  to  a  little  more  than 
one  hundred  candidates,  seventy-five  of  whom  had  been  under  Dr. 
Rankine 's  personal  care.f 


*  Under  Dr.  Potter's  successor,  President  Robert  Ellis  Jones  (1897-1902),  two 
fine  buildings  were  added  to  the  College  equipment,  the  Coxe  Memorial  Hall, 
given  by  the  Diocese  in  memory  of  its  second  Bishop  at  a  cost  of  ^40,000,  and 
Medbery  Hall,  with  rooms  for  60  students,  the  gift  of  Miss  Catharine  M.  Tuttle. 
The  Demarest  Library  building  has  been  completed  -with  a  considerable  endow- 
ment, by  gifts  of  ;5S 50,000  from  Mrs.  Agnes  Demarest.  An  addition  of  ^30,000  to 
the  already  large  provision  for  students  for  the  Ministry  has  come  this  year  by 
the  bequest  of  the  late  Matthew  O'Neill.  Dr.  William  P.  Durfee,  who  has  been 
Professor  of  Mathematics  since  1884,  and  Dean  of  the  Faculty  since  1889,  acted 
as  President  during  the  vacancies  of  1897  and  1902. 

t  In  1900  the  work  of  the  School  was  enlarged  by  a  course  of  bi-monthly  lect- 
ures by  clergymen  of  the  Diocese  appointed  annually  and  giving  their  services 
gratuitously.  The  Library,  in  the  new  Library  Building  of  Hobart  College, 
is  increased  to  more  than  two  thousand  volumes,  some  of  them  very  valuable,  and 
has  now  become  very  useful  to  the  students  and  to  some  of  the  clergy  of  the 
Diocese.  Bishop  Coxe  was  a  munificent  contributor  to  the  Library,  in  addition 
to  the  great  help  which  he  gave  to  the  School  by  his  annual  lectures  and  other 
personal  work. 


f 


-:1* 


t^^Mp^-^rg    fn 


1  www  r',^  ■  "     '  T  «?) 

1  www  (     ^    J^   ^        I  ar 


C'OXK    .\:i:M(tKI.\I.    IIAI.I. 


MKDHKkV   HALL 


CHAPTER  XLVII 
DIOCESAN  WORK:     SEMI-CENTENNIAL,   1888 

a  revision  of  the  Canons  of  the  Diocese,  begun  in 
1877  and  completed  in  18S4,  a  provision  for  an  Ecclesi- 
astical Court  was  added,  somewhat  like  the  admirable 
one  of  the  Diocese  of  Maryland,  Init  with  two  features 
suggested  by  Bishop  Coxe,  which,  so  far  as  I  know, 
were  first  enacted  in  Western  New  York  :  a  provision  enabling  the 
Bishop  to  hear  privately  any  charges  on  the  request  of  the  accused 
(but  with  the  concurrence  of  two  Presbyters),  and  give  judgment 
practically  as  an  arbitrator  ;  and  a  detailed  system  of  "  Ordinances  " 
for  the  government  of  proceedings  in  the  trial,  in  addition  to  the  gen- 
eral provisions  of  the  Canon.  The  effect  of  these  provisions  is 
obviously  to  simplify  the  procedure  to  the  great  advantage  both  of 
the  Court  and  of  the  clergyman  to  be  judged  by  it.  But,  if  I 
remember  right,  the  whole  history  of  the  Diocese  since  183S  has  seen 
but  two  ecclesiastical  trials,  one  in  Bishop  De  Lancey's  day,  and  one 
in  Bishop  Coxe's.* 

In  the  Address  of  1881  are  some  remarks  on  the  "  Revised  Ver- 
sion ''  then  just  completed,  well  worth  reading  again  by  those,  clergy- 
men and  laymen,  who  may  have  the  Journal  within  reach.  Their 
conclusion,  in  a  few  words,  is  all  I  can  give  here  : 

"Let  this  be  my  recorded  testimony;  the  new  work,  thus  far, 
helps  one  to  a  better  estimate  of  the  old,  and  increases  my  respect 
for  it.  I  use  it  as  a  commentary,  and  value  it  very  highly  as  such. 
Whether  it  is  worthy  to  supersede  the  old  version  is  a  question  wholly 
separate  from  any  comparative  view  of  its  merits.  .  .  We  must 
also  inquire  as  to  the  felicities  of  rendering  ;  have  we  a  purer  Eng- 
lish, a  nobler  style,  a  more  rythmical  and  readable  Lectionary  for  the 
public  Service.''  .  .  .  Have  they  given  us  only  such  changes  as 
are  necessary  to  the  better  understanding  of  God's  Holy  Word  ?  And 
have  they  been  guided  by  the  great  lights  of  Catholic  interpretation, 
the  Creeds  and  Liturgies,  and  the  doctors  of  the  Church,  in  all  mat- 
ters otherwise  dubious  and  uncertain  ?     .      .     It  is  not  so  easy  to  up- 


*  Both  of    these  resulted  in   the    deposition  of    the  accused   clergyman,  and 
without  any  outside  clamour. 


;^;^S  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

lift  an  impartial  balance,  and  to  put  into  the  scales  everything  that 
claims  to  be  weighed  against  the  ponderous  fact  that  we  have  now 
a  common  English  Bible  more  perfect  than  that  Septuagint 
which  the  Blessed  Apostles  and  Christ  Himself  condescended  to  use 
unamended." 

In  the  same  year  he  notes  as  "  special  objects  of  beneficence,  the 
building  of  a  becoming  See  House,  gifts  of  books  and  manuscripts, 
and  bequests  for  the  increase  and  repair  of  the  Cathedral  Library, 
heretofore  called  the  Episcopal  Library  ;"  such  bequests  and  gifts  to 
be  made  to  the  Cathedral  Chapter.  Also,  he  "  reminds  the  benevo- 
lent that  parish  endowments  are  injurious  in  their  operation,  unless 
they  are  conditioned  upon  corresponding  efforts  among  the  parish- 
ioners "  ;  and  gives  a  formula  for  such  bequests  providing  that  they 
shall  be  available  only  when  a  sum  equal  to  their  income  shall  be 
annually  paid  for  parish  objects,  "  primarily  for  the  liberal  support 
of  the  Rector."  Such  bequests,  he  adds,  should  always  be  made  to 
the  Trustees  of  the  Parochial  Fund.  There  are  several  parishes  in 
the  Diocese  whose  history  has  shown  more  or  less  fully  the  disastrous 
effects  of  neglecting  such  conditions. 

In  18S2  he  calls  the  Council  to  S.  Andrew's,  Rochester,  "to  set 
before  the  eyes  of  his  whole  Diocese  the  example  of  a  costly  church, 
well-appointed  and  complete,  and  made  emphatically  so  by  the  adjoin- 
ing rectory  and  parish-building  ";  a  free  church,  a  "  house  of  prayer, 
specially  designed  for  the  constant  offering  of  the  commemorative 
sacrifice  of  Eucharist,  that  great  soul  and  central  idea  of  Christian 
worship";  held  also  by  a  deed  to  the  Parochial  Fund  by  which  it 
is  to  be  claimed  for  a  Cathedral  on  "  the  erection  of  the  Diocese  of 
Rochester,  which  is  sure  to  come  about  before  long."* 

I  would  call  attention  to  his  wise  words  in  the  same  Address  on 
"  Temperance  "  (not  necessarily  "  Total  Abstinence  "),  "  Religious 
Newspapers,"  the  decease  of  Dr.  Pusey  and  Dr.  Hill.  Of  the  former 
he  says  (in  how  different  a  tone  from  that  of  the  miserable  contro- 
versies of  only  ten  years  before  !) 

"  It  is  a  very  solemn  thought  that  this  very  day  our  brethren  in 
England  are  gathering  about  the  bier  of  one  who  has  lent  a  name  to 
the  most  important  movement  of  our  times  in  the  Mother  Church.  To 
make  an  estimate  of  Dr.   Pusey's  real  share  and  influence  in  that 

*  Joum.  1882,  p.  41. 


The  Bishop's  Address,  1881-82  339 

movement  would  be  at  this  time  premature,  if  not  an  impossibility. 
We  may  thank  God  for  his  triumphant  defence  of  the  prophecy  of 
Daniel  against  rationalistic  assailants,  and  for  the  example  of  his 
attainments  in  Oriental  learning.  'J'ime  only  will  enable  wise  men  to 
do  justice  to  his  character  and  to  assign  his  figure  to  its  proper  niche 
among  the  august  array  of  Anglican  doctors  and  scholars.  We  may 
affectionately  say.  May  he  sleep  in  peace  and  rise  in  glory  I  The 
great  Catholic  movement  I  have  watched  from  its  very  beginnings, 
owing  to  exceptional  circumstances  which,  even  as  a  child,  inspired 
me  with  the  keenest  interest  in  the  Church  of  England.  It  is  a  mis- 
take to  say  that  Dr.  Pusey  founded  the  School  which  is  popularly 
attributed  to  his  influence,  or  that  the  Catholic  revival  to  which  Keble 
gave  new  forces  was  anything  more  than  the  triumphant  fruit  and  out- 
growth of  teaching  that  had  never  been  intermitted  among  Anglicans." 

And  then  he  adds  a  warning  against  misapplication  of  these 
"  sound  ideas  "  by  "  unreal  and  unsubstantial  "  copy  of  their  prac- 
tical results,  remembering  that  as  a  people  we  are  apt  not  only  to  copy 
but  to  exaggerate  every  foreign  fashion. 

Of  Dr.  Hill,  the  venerable  Missionary  to  Greece  : 

"  In  the  very  footsteps  of  S.  Paul,  he  has  revived  the  Apostle's 
work  ;  and  his  name,  and  that  of  his  estimable  wife,  are  forever  asso- 
ciated with  those  of  '  Dionysius  the  Areopagite  and  a  woman  named 
Damaris.'  Among  all  the  isles  of  Greece  those  names  are  honoured 
and  beloved,  and  Christian  mothers  teach  them  to  their  babes  as  the 
names  of  saints  indeed,  the  greatest  modern  benefactors  of  Hellas  and 
the  Hellenes.  Who  follows?  Who  will  go  forward  and  prolong  their 
most  Catholic  work,  amid  those  Apostolic  Churches  that  first  believed 
in  Christ .-"'  * 

The  year  1883,  it  may  be  noted  here,  was  one  of  great  bereave- 
ment to  the  Diocese  in  the  death  of  its  two  oldest  and  most  honoured 
Priests,  Edward  Ingersoll,  D.D.  (Feb.  6),  and  William  Shelton,  D.D. 
(Oct.  11),  of  both  of  whom  I  have  had  much  to  say  in  former  chap- 
ters. Nearly  all  their  long  ministry  was  in  Western  New  York  ;  Dr. 
Ingersoll 's  from  1842,  Dr.  Shelton 's  from  1829.  They  were  bosom 
friends  in  Buffalo  for  many  years,  although  so  very  different  in  many 
ways,  and  they  sleep  side  by  side  in  the  beautiful  Forest  Lawn  ceme- 
tery of  that  city.t 


*  Joum.  1S82,  pp.  53,  55.  At  this  Council  the  Bishop  delivered  a  Charge  to 
the  Clergy  (which  he  calls  his  Fifth)  on  the  Christian  Elements  of  Social  Science. 
I  have  not  been  able  to  find  the  Charge  itself,  or  any  report  or  notice  of  it,  in 
print. 

t  See  Notices  in  Joum.  1S90,  pp.  187-8. 


340  Diocese  of    Western  New  York 

In  1884  the  Bishop  reiterates  his  strong  warnings  against  the  moral 
dangers  to  the  young  in  many  of  the  habits  and  associations  in  our 
pubHc  and  private  hfe,  our  common  schools,  even  religious  gather- 
ings ;  he  calls  on  the  clergy  to  "  cry  aloud  and  spare  not,"  on  the 
judges  to  interpose  in  their  charges  to  juries,  to  warn  against  tempta- 
tions to  intemperance,  to  gambling,  to  unchristian  divorces,  to  "the 
secret  poison  ' '  of  licentiousness  ;  on  the  physicians  ' '  to  become  the 
moralists  of  the  family  in  details  which  they  only  can  know  ;  on  the 
press  to  make  laws  of  journalism  to  exclude  from  families  every  news- 
paper unlit  for  the  eyes  of  decent  people  ;  on  the  householder  "  not  to 
imagine  that  he  saves  anything  by  letting  his  children  go  on  without 
pastoral  oversight,  without  catechising,  without  the  educating  influ- 
ences of  the  Prayer  Book,  without  that  doctrine  on  which  in  the  fiery 
trials  of  after-life,  they  must  depend  for  the  vital  forces  of  character 
and  for  support  amid  inevitable  sorrows."* 

But  we  might  fill  page  after  page  with  his  warnings  on  public  and 
private  morals  through  successive  years. 

In  the  same  year  the  revision  of  the  Diocesan  Canons  was  com- 
pleted after  seven  years'  work,  and  so  thoroughly  done  that  they  have 
required  but  little  change  since  that  time.  Their  codification,  in 
which  I  had  some  part,  was  a  work  of  much  time  and  labour  for  a 
year  or  more.  Two  or  three  important  additions  were  made  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  Bishop ;  a  Canon  of  ' '  The  Due  Celebration  of 
Marriages"  providing  for  the  consent  and  presence  or  representation 
of  parents  ;  one  of  "  Parish  Registers"  with  specification  of  details 
to  be  recorded  in  them,  and  power  of  inspection  by  the  Bishop  or  the 
Dean  (a  Canon  which  I  fear  is  little  attended  to  by  many  Parish 
Priests,  though  much  more  generally  than  in  former  years)  ;  and  a 
Canon  on  "The  Solemn  Election  of  a  Bishop,"  whose  admirable 
provisions  were  carefully  observed,  as  the  Bishop  wished  them  to  be, 
in  the  election  of  his  successor.  Another  Canon  adopted  at  this  time 
on  "  The  Registration  of  Communicants,"  though  unquestionably 
right  in  principle,  was  after  some  years'  trial  repealed  as  impractica- 
ble in  the  larger  parishes. 

In  1885  the  Church  in  Buffalo  met  with  another  great  loss  in  the 
death  (Aug.  i )  of  the  Rev.  John  Martin  Henderson,  for  twenty-four 
years  Rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Ascension,  and  a  man  of  remark- 
able purity  and  integrity  of  character  as  well  as  of  excellence  in  all  the 
work  of  a  Parish  Priest.      The  Rev.  George  S.  Teller,  who  had  been 

*  Journ.  1884,  p.  55. 


Council  of   1885  34' 

Rector  at  Geneseo  and  Mt.  Morris,  died  on  July  6  of  this  year,  after 
seven  years  earnest  work  in  the  Diocese.* 

The  Council  of  this  year  (1885),  being  the  semi-centennial  of  the 
first  ever  held  in  the  old  Diocese  of  Western  New  York,  (see  Chap. 
X\'III.  p.  100  above,)  was  graced  by  the  presence  of  two  of  its  for- 
mer clergy,  the  Rev.  Drs.  James  A.  Bolles  and  VV'illiam  Staunton, 
each  of  whom  gave,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  Bishop  and  all 
present,  an  address  full  of  interesting  reminiscences  of  old  days  ;  to 
that  of  Dr.  Bolles  I  am  indebted,  as  will  have  been  noticed,  for  some 
important  facts  in  regard  to  the  erection  of  the  old  Diocese  and  the 
election  of  Bishop  De  Lancey.  The  Hon.  William  Constable  Pierre- 
pont,  of  Pierrepont  Manor,  another  member  of  the  New  York  Con- 
vention of  1835,  was  also  cordially  invited,  but  was  prevented  by  ill- 
ness, which  a  little  later  resulted  (Dec.  20)  in  his  decease.  He  was 
the  steadfast  and  intimate  friend  of  Bishop  De  Lancey,  and  the  his- 
tory of  the  Diocese  records  no  instance  of  a  layman  using  great  gifts 
of  mind  and  estate  more  faithfully  and  unselfishly  for  the  work  of 
Christ  and  His  Church. t 

It  should  be  noted  here  that  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  the 
Bishop's  Consecration  was  marked  in  Buffalo  by  a  special  service  of 
thanksgiving,  at  which  he  made  an  address  reviewing  the  recent  his- 
tory of  the  Diocese,  and  the  presentation  to  him  of  one  thousand 
dollars  ;  and  by  himself  with  a  contribution  of  the  same  amount  from 
himself  and  others  towards  the  Mission  at  Athens,  of  which  he  had  so 
long  been  the  devoted  friend  and  champion. 

The  Council  of  1886  took  an  important  step  in  Diocesan  work  in 
adopting  a  Canon  on  the  Organization  of  Missions,  like  those  in 
force  for  some  years  in  Maine,  Wisconsin  and  other  dioceses  ;  provid- 
ing for  a  simple  organization   including   the  adult  members  of  the 


*  See  notices  in  Journ.  1S90,  p.  190.  I  should  also  notice  here  the  decease  of 
the  Rev.  Henry  Lx)ckwood,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  revered  of  the  clergy  of  old 
Western  New  York,  who  died  at  his  home  of  many  years,  Pittsford,  Nov.  21,  1883, 
at  76.  The  beautiful  church  of  that  Parish  is  his  memorial.  His  son,  the  Rev. 
Henry  R.  Lockwood,  D.D.,  is  Rector  of  S.  Paul's,  Syracuse. 

t  For  the  addresses  of  Drs.  Bolles  and  Staunton,  see  Journ.  18S5,  p.  151  ;  and 
in  regard  to  Mr.  Pierrepont  and  the  Church  at  Pierrepont  Manor,  see  above,  Ch. 
XIX.  p.  107.  At  this  Council  the  Bishop  delivered  a  charge  to  the  clergy  on 
"  The  Church  of  Law  and  the  Law  of  the  Church,"  which  was  printed  in  part  in 
the  diocesan  paper,  the  Church  Kalendar,  Vol.  VL  pp.  289  seq.  (Sept. — Nov. 
1885.)     I  shall  refer  to  it  later. 


342  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Mission  (without  distinction  of  sex),  with  a  Warden,  Treasurer  and 
Clerk  ;  no  legal  incorporation,  but  mission  property  to  be  held  by  the 
Trustees  of  the  Parochial  Fund  ;  all  this  with  the  Bishop's  approval, 
and  with  the  right  of  incorporating  as  a  Parish  whenever  the  Mission 
became  self-supporting.  The  system  is  too  general  and  well-known 
to  need  any  further  explanation  ;  its  practical  working  has  been  of 
great  benefit  in  this  and  I  believe  in  every  other  Diocese.* 

At  this  Council  an  able  report  was  read  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hitchcock 
on  the  pending  Revision  of  the  Prayer  Book,  but,  after  a  long  discus- 
sion (the  first  of  several  such),  was  laid  on  the  table — the  usual  fate 
of  such  subjects.! 

The  Bishop  completed  in  1887  a  most  important  work  to  which  he 
had  given  much  time  and  labour  for  more  than  two  years,  and  which 
will  remain  a  permanent  monument  of  his  literary  industry  and 
research,  as  also  of  his  deep  study  of  Catholic  history  and  doctrine, 
the  editing  of  the  American  reprint  of  the  Ante-Nicene  Christian 
Fathers,  comprising  the  twenty  volumes  of  the  Edinburgh  Edition  of 
1867  in  ten  large  volumes  with  introduction  and  copious  notes  by 
himself.  It  was  certainly  a  wonderful  work  for  a  man  at  his  time  of 
life  and  in  uncertain  if  not  feeble  health,  and  with  cares  and  occupa- 
tions already  too  much  for  him  and  indeed  for  almost  any  one  man. 
To  accomplish  it  he  habitually  rose  at  a  very  early  hour  (in  winter 
before  daylight,  lighting  his  own  fire),  and  most  of  it  was  done  before 
breakfast^  his  only  (comparatively)  leisure  time.  The  Council  of 
1887,  on  the  motion  of  Dr.  Rankine,  adopted  unanimously  by  a  ris- 
ing vote  a  resolution  expressing 

"  Its  profound  appreciation  of  the  value  of  this  great  service 
rendered  by  its  present  Bishop  to  the  cause  of  Christian  Truth  ;  and 
congratulates  itself  and  him  that  in  the  Providence  of  God  he  has 
been  enabled  to  mark  the  first  Jubilee  of  the  Diocese  by  the  consum- 
mation of  a  work  so  important  for  the  defence  of  Christianity  in  its 
integrity  and  purity."  % 

*  This  Canon  was  adopted  at  my  suggestion  (from  experience  of  its  usefulness 
in  Maine)  by  tlie  Dean  and  Convocation  of  Buffalo,  who  reported  it  to  the 
Council  of  1 886.  A  Canon  substituting  two  Archdeaconries  for  the  four  Deaner- 
ies was  proposed  this  year,  reported  on  adversely  in  18S7,  and  finally  revived  and 
adopted,  as  will  be  seen,  in  1895.  (Joum.  i886,  pp.  20-2  ;  1887,  p.  24  ;  1890,  p. 
32;    1895,  p.  34.) 

t  Joum.  1886,  pp.  24,  32-3. 

t  Joum.  1887,   p.  35. 


Council  of   1887  343 

During  the  same  year  (1886-7)  the  Bishop  had  attended  the  Gen- 
eral Convention  at  Chicago,  and  on  his  homeward  journey  delivered 
before  the  Hobart  guild  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor, 
the  first  course  of  the  "  Baldwin  Lectures,"  which  he  soon  after 
published  in  a  volume  entitled  "  Institutes  of  Christian  History." 
It  is  a  small  book,  and  of  course  a  mere  outline  of  the  subject,  but 
is  written  with  great  clearness,  and  with  all  the  charm  of  the  Bishop's 
style,  and  ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of  all  intelligent  Churchmen  as 
well  as  Divinity  students. 

The  Council  of  1887  met  for  the  first  time  in  seventeen  years  with- 
out the  presence  of  its  Secretary,  the  Rev.  Theodore  M.  Bishop, 
D.D.,  who,  as  I  have  noted  before,*  had  given  the  devoted  service  of 
a  long  and  able  ministry  almost  wholly  to  this  Diocese.  Since  1881 
I  had  been  his  Assistant,  and  from  this  time  filled  his  place  by  unan- 
imous choice  of  the  Council  till  1898.  Again  the  Bishop  urges  that 
"  it  is  time  that  the  Province  of  New  York  should  be  made  a  practi- 
cal part  of  our  organization,"  and  "  its  dormant  Federate  Council  " 
convened.  It  7cuts  convened  later,  and  accomplished  some  useful 
work,  but  has  long  since  gone  to  sleep  again,  and  with  it,  apparently, 
all  prospect  of  any  united  action  for  the  work  and  interests  of  the 
Church  in  the  State  of  New  York. 

More  practical  in  its  result  was  the  resolution  of  the  same  Council 
providing  for  the  Semi-Centennial  Commemoration  of  the  founding 
of  the  original  Diocese  of  Western  New  York,  to  be  held  in  1888  in 
Trinity  Church,  Geneva.  For  this  purpose,  and  also  on  account  of 
the  Bishop's  absence  at  the  Lambeth  Conference  of  that  year,  the 
Council  was  deferred  to  the  last  days  of  October,  so  that  the  Com- 
memoration following  it  fell  on  All  Saints'  Day,  on  which  the  Diocese 
had  come  into  being  and  elected  its  first  Bishop  in  1838.  At  the 
Council  itself  resolutions  were  offered  by  Dr.  Rankine  and  unani- 
mously adopted  in  memory  of  Bishop  De  Lancey  as  "  the  founder  of 
our  Diocese  " — 

"  Realizing  more  than  ever,  in  the  wonderful  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  original  jurisdiction  during  the  last  half-century,  his 
clear-sighted,  far-reaching  wisdom  in  laying  foundations,  and  how 
precious  are  the  fruits  of  his  self-sacrificing  zeal,  which  spared  nei- 
ther time,  nor  strength,  nor  comfort,  nor  private  means,  in  fostering 


*  See  above,  Ch.  XXXIII,  p.  213. 


344  Diocese  of  Western  New   York 

the  educational  institutions  and  building  up  the  Missionary  work  of 
his  Diocese"  ;  and  recognizing  "  the  lasting  impress  of  his  loving 
firmness,  and  of  the  symmetry  and  dignity  of  his  character,  upon 
the  work  which  he  accomplished." 

Resolutions  which  for  once  expressed  no  more  than  simple  truth. 
This  action  was  communicated  to  the  surviving  children  of  the  Bishop, 
and  at  the  same  time  was  adopted  one  directing  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee and  the  Bishop  to  secure  from  the  family  of  Bishop  De  Lancey 
consent  to  the  removal  of  his  remains  to  Geneva  ;  action  which  it  is 
greatly  to  be  regretted  has  had  no  practical  result  to  the  present  time. 
No  action  of  the  Standing  Committee  appears  on  their  records.* 

The  Feast  of  All  Saints,  one  of  the  brightest  and  loveliest  days  of 
the  year,  gathered  in  Trinity  Church  nearly  one  hundred  clergymen, 
mostly  of  the  old  Diocese,  and  a  congregation  which  filled  the  great 
church  from  end  to  end.  Central  New  York  was  largely  represented, 
but  not  by  its  Bishop,  in  whose  absence  the  Eucharistic  Service  was 
assigned  by  Bishop  Coxe  to  Drs.  Babcock,  Wilson,  Brain ard.  Beau- 
champ  and  Duff,  of  that  Diocese,  with  Dean  Geddes  and  Canon  Read 
of  the  Diocese  of  Niagara,  Morning  Prayer  being  said  by  Drs.  Wind- 
sor and  M' Knight,  and  the  Rev.  Louis  B.  Van  Dyck.  The  Hymns 
were  "  Glorious  things  of  thee  are  spoken"  and  "  Who  are  these  in 
bright  array,"  and  the  latter,  to  the  old  tune  of  "  Martyn,"  brought 
out  such  congregational  singing  as  I  never  heard  before  in  Geneva,  if 
anywhere.  After  the  Collect  the  Bishop  said  this  Commemoration  at 
the  Altar. 

"Blessed  Lord,  who  has  not  dealt  with  us  after  our  sins,  nor 
rewarded  us  according  to  our  iniquities  ;  we  render  unto  Thee  most 
high  laud  and  worthy  thanks,  as  for  all  Thy  mercies  which  we  cele- 
brate this  day,  so  especially  for  all  Thou  hast  wrought  for  us  through 
choice  vessels  of  Thy  grace  who  have  shone  as  lights  of  the  world  in 
their  several  generations,  and  who  do  now  rest  from  their  labours. 
Accept,  we  pray  Thee,  our  grateful  commemorations,  as  we  remem- 
ber before  Thee  our  venerable  Fathers  in  Christ,  John  Henry,  Bish- 
op of  New  York,  and  William  Heathcote,  his  son  and  disciple  in 
the  Faith,  by  whom  Thou  hast  planted  and  watered  this  our  inherit- 
ance, and  taught  us  to  know  the  right  ways  of  the  Lord,  and  to  walk 

*  Joum.  1 888,  pp.  26,  40.  A  valuable  list  of  Consecrations  of  churches  in  the 
Diocese  from  earliest  years,  and  of  attendance  of  laymen  at  Councils,  prepared  by 
Mr.   John  N.  Macomb,  Jr.,  was  accepted  and  printed.     (Id.  p.  37.) 


JAMES   RANKINE 


The  Semi-Centenniai,,   1888  345 

in  the  old  paths.  And  we  beseech  Thee  evermore  to  keep  us  in  the 
same  ;  to  show  Thy  servants  Thy  work,  and  their  children  Thy  glory. 
And  may  the  glorious  Majesty  of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon  us  ; 
prosper  Thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us  ;  O  prosper  Thou  our 
handy-work.  All  which  we  beg  through  the  merits  and  intercession 
of  Jesus  Christ  Thy  Son,  our  adorable  Lord  and  Saviour,  unto  whom, 
with  Thee,  O  Father,  and  Thee,  ()  Holy  (ihost,  be  all  honour  and 
glory,  henceforth  and  forevermore.     Amen.'' 

Of  the  Sermon,  or  Historical  Address,  which  the  Bishop  had  long 
before  assigned  to  me  as  an  old  resident  in  the  Diocese  and  familiar 
with  its  history,  it  need  only  be  said  here  that  it  was  the  germ  of  the 
present  history  so  far  as  concerned  the  Episcopate  of  Bishop  De  Lan- 
cey  and  the  years  before  it.  Its  text  or  motto  was  from  the  Litany, 
"  O  God,  we  have  heard  with  our  ears,  and  our  fathers  have  declared 
unto  us,  the  noble  works  that  Thou  didst  in  their  days,  and  in  the  old 
time  before  them  ;"  and  its  ending  "  Non  nobis,  Domine.  "  It 
received  from  the  Council  a  word  of  thanks,  which,  as  it  was  written 
at  their  request  by  Bishop  Coxe,  I  may  be  pardoned  for  repeating 
here  : 

"  Resolved,  That  for  his  able  and  most  instructive  Historical  Ser- 
mon, this  day  delivered  before  this  Council,  under  Episcopal  appoint- 
ment, by  the  Reverend  Dr.  Hayes,  (a  copy  of  which  has  been  already 
requested  for  publication  with  the  Journal,)  our  special  thanks  are  due 
to  the  preacher  ;  whose  patient  research  and  masterly  compilation  of 
facts  have  enabled  us,  and  those  who  may  come  after  us,  to  under- 
stand the  Providence  of  God  in  our  past,  and  our  great  occasion  for 
gratitude  to  Him  for  the  precious  instruments  through  whom  He  has 
wrought  in  founding  His  Holy  Church  in  the  Western  region  of  New 
York."* 

The  sermon  was  published  by  the  Council,  with  notes,  and  widely 
circulated  at  the  time  ;  but  there  has  been  plenty  of  time  since  then 
to  forget  all  about  it.  The  delightful  collation  which  followed  in  the 
afternoon  in  the  "  Alumni  Hall  "  of  the  College  will  doubtless  be 
longer  remembered  by  those  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  attend  it 
and  listen  to  the  speeches  by  the  Bishop,  Dr.  Wilson  (personal  remi- 

«  Joum.  18S8,  p.  41.  I  wish  to  record  that  the  resolution  was  offered  and 
seconded  by  two  personal  friends,  Dre.  Anstice  and  Rankine.  The  last  pages  of 
the  Sermon  were  a  plea  for  the  practical  carrying  out  of  the  Provincial  System  in 
the  five  Dioceses  of  New  York,  as  a  necessary  condition  of  the  increase  of  the 
Episcopate. 


34^  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

niscences  of  Bishop  De  Lancey)  and  others,  and  letters  from  various 
clergymen  and  laymen  invited,  but  unable  to  be  present.*  Among 
those  who  did  attend  were  three  laymen  who  were  present  at  the 
earliest  Councils  of  the  Diocese, — George  Arnold  and  Henry  E. 
Rochester,  of  Rochester,  and  Dr.  Ashbel  S.  Baldwin  (Hobart  1834) 
of  Jacksonville,  Fla. 

And  so  ended  one  of  the  most  memorable  festivals  which  the  Dio- 
cese of  Western  New  York  has  kept. 

I  wish  I  could  quote  even  a  few  words  here  from  the  Bishop's 
remarks  in  his  Address  of  this  year  on  the  decease  of  the  Rev. 
Fortune  C.  Brown,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  faithful  clergymen  of 
the  Diocese,  of  the  Bishop  of  Michigan  (Dr.  Harris),  and  of  Dean 
Burgon,  his  friend  of  many  years,  and  in  regard  to  the  lessons  of  the 
Lambeth  Conference  of  1888  ;  or  say  something  of  the  Church  Con- 
gress in  Buffalo,  under  the  Bishop's  presidency,  some  of  whose 
speeches  were  not  wholly  congenial  to  him  ;  in  one  case,  I  remember, 
the  speaker  had  to  be  summarily  silenced.  But  I  must  hasten  on  to 
the  end  of  my  long  story. 


*  The  Letters  are  given  in  the  semi-centennial  pamphlet,  "  Fifty  Years"  ;  that 
is,  18  out  of  about  120  received  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Committee,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Nelson. 


CHAPTER    XLVIII 

te^sg-g^^HE  Bishop,  in  his  Address  of  1889,  refers  feehngly  to  the 
f^^^^^c^-  decease  (June  30)  of  the  Rev.  Lloyd  Windsor,  D.D., 
^\  vCT'^/W  •'  ^^  Hornellsville,  one  of  the  oldest  clergy-men  in  years 
|*K>"^^^^  ii  '^^'^  residence,  and  for  many  years  Chairman  of  the 
"  ""^""^^'  Committee  on  Canons,  for  which  office  he  was  emi- 
nently qualified  *;  of  Thomas  Dennis,  many  years  Warden  of  Christ 
and  Trinity  Churches,  Buffalo,  who,  at  the  age  of  70,  after  long  and 
faithful  service  as  a  lay-reader,  was  ordered  Deacon  for  the  same 
work,  and  died  only  two  months  later,  June  4;  and  of  Michael 
Scofield,  after  42  years'  service  mostly  in  this  Diocese  ;  and  also  of 
the  Rev.  John  Henry  Hobart,  D.D.  (son  of  the  great  Bishop), 
formerly  (1846-8)  Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  and  from  early 
years  the  Bishop's  beloved  friend,  to  whom  was  dedicated  the  first 
edition  of  his  C/in's/ian  Ballads.  This  recollection  of  early  days 
leads  to  the  thought  of  the  approaching  completion  of  twenty-five 
years  of  his  Episcopate,  and  the  question  of  his  ability  to  continue 
in  its  duties  unaided.  The  subject  was  taken  up  by  the  Council  and 
referred  to  a  committee  having  in  charge  both  the  keeping  of  the 
quarter-centennial  and  the  "  administration  of  the  Episcopate." 
The  anniversary  was  kept  on  Jan.  3  and  4,  1890,  in  S.  Paul's 
Church,  Buffalo,  with  services  of  great  interest,!  in  which  the  Bishop 
of  New  York,  sixty-four  clergymen,  and  all  the  vested  choirs  of  the 
city  (250  choristers)  took  part.  The  procession  of  the  various  choirs 
through  the  aisles  of  the  great  church,  singing  over  and  over  "  The 
Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war,"  and  followed  by  the  long  array  of 
Priests  in  surplice,  stole  and  hood,  was  a  sight  never  before  seen  in 
Western  New  York.  After  special  Prayers,  the  Bishop  was  presented 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rankine  with  a  congratulatory  address  meant  to 
accompany  the  gift  from   the  Clergy  of  a  Pastoral  Staff  (which  how- 


*  He  began  his  ministry  in  the  Diocese  on  its  natal  day,  All  Saints,  1S3S,  and 
never  left  it  except  for  seven  years  in  Cleveland,  O.  See  also  Ch.  XXV.,  p. 
153,  and  Ch.  XXXIII.,  p.  211  above. 

t  S.  Paul's  had  been  only  that  morning  re-consecrated  after  its  restoration 
from  almost  total  destruction  by  fire  in  1S88. 


348  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

ever  was  not  completed  at  this  time)*  and,  from  Hobart  College  and 
the  De  Lancey  Divinity  School,  a  rare  copy  of  the  Prayer  Book  in 
various  languages.  This  was  followed  by  an  address  from  the 
Chancellor  of  the  Diocese,  the  Hon,  James  M.  Smith,  LL.D.,  on 
behalf  of  the  Laity,  with  a  gift  of  $1,500.  The  service  was  con- 
cluded by  a  notable  address  by  the  Bishop  of  New  York,  most 
eloquently  and  ingeniously  picturing  the  "Ideal  Bishop"  :  first  as 
having  "  the  instinct,  the  vision,  and  the  habit,  of  righteousness"; 
second  in  "  the  paternal  quality";  third  in  learning;  fourth,  in  the 
' '  gift  of  poetic  fire  ' ' ;  leaving  those  whom  he  addressed  to  make  their 
own  application  of  his  words. 

"  But  surely,"  he  concludes,  "  one  who  feels  how  much  he,  as  the 
least  of  his  brethren,  owes  to  one  whose  clarion  voice  has  never  given 
forth  a  false  or  treacherous  note,  and  whose  lofty  and  beautiful  life 
has  been  a  daily  inspiration  to  every  highest  duty,  may  here  thank 
God  with  you  for  that  which  we  are  here  tonight  to  hold  in  grateful 
memory.  The  years  come  and  go.  Men  arise,  move  through  their 
little  span,  and  disappear.  But  in  this  Diocese,  Hobart  and  De  Lan- 
cey will  never  be  forgotten — nay,  nor,  thank  God,  another  !" 

On  the  following  morning  the  Holy  Communion  was  celebrated  by 
the  Bishop,  assisted  by  the  Bishop  of  New  York  and  Drs.  Hitchcock 
and  Lobdell,  with  a  Sermon,  thought  out  but  not  written,  by  the 
Bishop  himself,  on  "  Our  Common  Ministry  and  its  great  Responsi- 
lities,"  and  concluding  with  some  exceedingly  interesting  reminis- 
cences of  early  days  in  Western  New  York,  and  of  his  own  election 
and  consecration.  Again  I  must  regretfully  refer  to  the  Journal  itself 
for  the  record  of  his  eloquent  words. t 

At  the  Council  of  1890,  at  Niagara  Falls,  a  Sermon  on  the  Church's 
Educational  Work  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Potter,  President  of 
Hobart  College.  The  Committee  on  the  Administration  of  the  Epis- 
copate presented  a  Report  reciting  a  communication  from  the  Bishop 
on  the  possible  need  of  some  relief  in  his  duties,  (for  which,  however, 
he  did  not  ask,)  the  evident  fact  that  "  there  should  be  two  dioceses, 
Buffalo  and  Rochester  should  be  See-Cities,"  and  S.  Andrew's 
Church  was  ready  for  a  Cathedral  for  the  latter,  ' '  yet  in  his  opinion 

*  It  was  actually  presented  on  the  anniversary  of  the  Bishop's  accession  to  the 
Episcopate  of  the  Diocese,  April  5,  1865. 
t  Joum.  1890,  pp.  231-41. 


THK     RKSTORED    ST.   PAUL'S.  BUFFALO. 
From  Main  Street. 


rhotograph  by  A.  \V    Simon,  i8qs- 


lUproducril  by  pcrmlwlon  from  the 
RraDH-BkrUrtt  Iliiurj  of  8L  Paul'i  Church, 
Dufblu.  capjtri(hu<l  uid  puMllhcd  19IU. 


Councils  of  1890-91  :  Division  349 

the  time  is  yet  somewhat  remote  when  the  erection  of  a  new  diocese 
will  be  feasible."  The  Council  mi<;ht  judge  dilTerently.  The  next 
resource,  the  election  of  a  Coadjutor,  is  objectionable  on  account  of 
the  additional  burden  of  expense  which  might  become  oppressive. 
The  aid  of  two  Archdeacons  or  four  Rural  Deans  with  salaries  might 
answer.  The  Committee  think  the  division  of  the  Diocese  and  a 
Coadjutor  both  impracticable,  and  advise  the  creation  of  two  Arch- 
deaconries, without  saying  anything  about  salaries.  It  was  resolved 
at  once  to  appropriate  $i,ooo  for  Episcopal  and  clerical  assistance 
for  the  Bishop  ;  but  a  motion  by  the  Rev.  A.  S.  Crapsey  to  refer  back 
the  report  with  instructions  to  report  to  the  next  Council  measures  for 
the  division  of  the  Diocese  into  those  of  Buffalo  and  Rochester  was 
carried  with  brief  debate  by  a  large  vote,  and  on  a  division  by  Orders 
was  lost  by  non-concurrence,  the  Clergy  voting  for  it  by  50  to  7,  and 
the  Laity  against  it  by  15  to  25.  A  resolution  was  then  passed  for  a 
Committee  to  report  on  the  expediency  of  dividing  the  Diocese. 
Another  followed  for  the  appointment  of  a  General  Missionary  with  a 
salary.     (But  no  such  officer  was  appointed.)* 

At  the  Council  of  1 891,  in  Geneva,  the  Committee  on  the  Division 
of  the  Diocese  report  that  "  said  division  is  wise,  is  demanded  by 
the  necessities  of  the  work,  and  is  therefore  feasible,"  and  therefore 
(i)  that  it  is  expedient  to  erect  the  two  Dioceses  of  Buffalo  and 
Rochester,  provided  that  a  sufficient  endowment  can  be  secured  ;  (2) 
that  the  Committee  take  measures  to  raise  $100,000  for  the  fund; 
(3)  fixing  the  line  of  division.  These  resolutions  were  adopted,  the 
first  by  63  to  10,  the  other  two  unanimously.  But  on  a  vote  by 
orders  on  the  three,  the  clergy  voted  for  them  by  44.  to  10,  and  the 
Lay  vote,  by  the  accidental  absence  of  one  of  their  number  while  the 
vote  was  being  taken,  was  tied,  18  to  18  parishes,  and  i  divided.! 
The  proposition  was  therefore  defeated,  in  spite  of  the  almost  unani- 
mous opinion  of  the  clergy  several  times  given,  and  has  thus  far  not 
been  renewed. 


*  Joum.  1S80,  pp.  23,  31-3. 

t  Trinity  Church,  Geneva,  two  of  whose  three  delegates  were  in  favour  of  divi- 
sion. One  of  these  left  the  Council  temporarily  just  before  the  vote  was  taken  ; 
the  Parish  was  therefore  tied,  the  Lay  vote  was  tied,  and  the  Diocese  was  practi- 
cally tied.  It  may  be  a  question,  however,  how  far  the  measure  would  have  been 
actually  carried  out  on  a  Lay  vote  so  nearly  balanced.  An  amendment  declaring 
division  inexpedient  until  the  fund  was  raised  was  lost  by  a -joint  vote  of  62  to  15. 


35°  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

I  find  that  in  the  same  year  the  Bishop  and  Standing  Committee 
refused  their  consent  to  the  consecration  of  Dr.  PhiUips  Brooks  as 
Bishop  of  Massachusetts, 

The  Journal  of  1891  records  that  the  Bishop  delivered  his  Fifth 
Charge  to  the  clergy  on  "Our  Catholic  Position  and  Work."  I 
have  not  found  it  in  print,  and  hardly  an  allusion  to  it  appears  in  the 
Diocesan  paper,  Our  Church   Work* 

The  Council  of  1892,  in  Buffalo,  was  immediately  preceded  by 
the  consecration  of  Trinity  Church,  Delaware  Avenue,  a  large  and 
costly  edifice  which  had  at  last  taken  the  place  of  the  Doric  temple 
occupied  so  many  years  on  Washington  St.  With  this  was  now  com- 
bined the  simple  but  beautiful  little  chapel  erected  some  years  before 
by  what  was  then  Christ  Church,  a  congregation  formed  from  S. 
John's,  and  finally  united  with  Trinity.  The  building  of  the  new 
church  was  largely  due  to  the  energy  and  ability  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Van  Bokkelen,  Rector  from  1874  to  1S86,  and  to  the  liberal  gifts  of 
his  wife,  which  provided  nearly  all  the  work  and  decoration  of  the 
chancel.  With  all  this,  the  church  had  been  opened  in  1886  with  a 
debt  of  $50,000,  and  for  a  year  after  was  without  a  Rector.  Five 
years  later,  under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  Van  Bokkelen 's  successor, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Francis  Lobdell,  the  debt  had  been  paid,  and  the 
church,  still  without  a  tower,  but  otherwise  complete,  and  adorned 
with  a  great  number  of  costly  and  beautiful  memorials  in  stained 
glass,  stone  and  metal  work,  was  ready  for  consecration. t 


*  After  the  discontinuance  of  the  Gospel  Messenger  in  1872,  Bishop  Coxe  pub- 
lished in  Buffalo  an  occasional  paper  called  The  Orbit,  while  in  Rochester  several 
of  the  clergy  began  in  1S77  a  small  semi-monthly  called  Our  Church  Work.  In 
1880  these  were  united  in  The  Kalendar,  a  weekly  for  the  whole  Diocese, 
published  in  Rochester  up  to  August,  1885,  then  in  Westfield,  as  The  Church  Kal- 
endar,  under  my  editorship,  to  1889,  when  it  was  changed  to  The  Church  Messen- 
ger of  Buffalo.  In  1890  this  was  given  up,  and  Our  Church  Work  resumed  at 
Rochester;  in  1893  transferred  to  Buffalo,  and  edited  for  a  year  by  the  Rev. 
Thomas  B.  Berry,  then  for  a  short  time  by  the  Rev.  W.  Bedford  Jones,  and 
finally  by  the  Rev.  Warren  W.  Walsh  till  May,  1902,  when  it  was  discontinued, 
and  nothing  has  thus  far  taken  its  place. 

t  Since  then  a  rectory  and  other  gifts  have  provided  a  considerable  endow- 
ment. The  parish  now  (May,  1903)  reports  959  communicants,  nearly  the  same 
as  S.  Paul's,  which  has  970,  these  two  being  the  largest  number  reported  in  the 
Diocese.  I  am  indebted  to  Mrs.  S.  F.  Mixer's  interesting  History  of  Trinity 
Church  (Buffalo  1897)  for  some  facts  and  illustrations. 


Council  ok   1892  :    Division  351 

Both  these  harchvorkhig  and  successful  clergymen  died  in  BufTalo  ; 
I.)r.  Van  Bokkelen  on  All  Saints'  Day,  1889,  Dr.  Lobdell  Oct.  26, 
1899. 

The  question  of  Episcopal  work  came  up  again  at  this  Council, 
introduced  by  the  Bishop,  who  expressed  his  need  of  a  coadjutor, 
although  he  did  not  ask  for  one.  A  Committee  reported  in  favour  of 
such  action  ;  but  after  a  protracted  debate,  and  some  ineffectual 
effort  to  combine  with  this  measure  a  provision  for  the  residence  of  a 
Bishop  in  Rochester,  the  Council  refused  to  act  upon  it  by  a  negative 
vote  of  31  to  24  of  the  clergy,  and  12  to  10  of  the  parishes  rejDre- 
sented.* 

On  the  failure  of  this  effort,  a  Committee  was  appointed,  on  motion 
of  Judge  William  H.  Adams  of  Canandaigua.t  to  confer  with  the 
Diocese  of  Central  New  York,  "  to  ascertain  whether  a  division  of  the 
two  dioceses  into  three  is  desirable  and  practicable."  This  Commit- 
tee reported  the  next  year  that  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese  of  Cen- 
tral New  York  declined  to  consider  the  proposition. t 

In  the  Council  of  1895,  at  Lockport,  the  subject  was  once  more 
discussed,  at  the  instance  of  the  Bishop,  in  committee  of  the  whole, 
with  the  result  that  ''  in  view  of  the  present  financial  condition  of  the 
country,  it  is  not  expedient  to  take  any  measures  at  this  Council 
towards  the  division  of  the  Diocese  ;  and  that  for  the  same  reason, 
the  consideration  of  the  subject  of  an  Assistant  Bishop  be  postponed." 
This  is  the  last  record  of  any  action  in  the  matter.  § 


*  Such  a  vote  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  any  fair  expression  of  the  opinion  of 
a  Diocese  numbering  at  that  time  112  clergymen  and  121  parishes  and  missions. 
My  own  belief  was  and  is  that  the  relief  would  have  been  given  to  the  Bishop 
(in  spite  of  strong  objections  to  Assistant  Bishops  generally)  if  the  Coadjutor 
had  been  required  to  reside  in  Rochester.  But  this  is  only  my  own  opinion,  and 
may  very  likely  be  wrong. 

t  Son  of  the  venerable  John  Adams  of  Lyons,  mentioned  in  Chap.  XXIII.,  p. 
143  above;  like  his  father,  an  earnest  and  intelligent  Churchman,  and,  like  his 
brother-in-law  the  late  Judge  James  C.  Smith  (dec.  Sept.  26,  1900),  a  pillar  of 
the  old  S.  John's  Church,  Canandaigua.  Judge  Adams  has  just  entered  into 
rest,  Oct.  12,  1903,  aet.  62. 

t  Joum.  1893,  pp.  40,  231. 

§  A  resolution  looking  to  the  division  of  the  Diocese  was  offered  at  the  Special 
Council  of  1896  for  the  election  of  a  Bishop,  by  the  Rev.  Algernon  S.  Crapsey 
of  Rochester,  but,  under  the  limitations  of  the  call  of  the  Special  Council,  it  was 
not  allowed  to  be  considered  or  even  entered  on  the  Journal. 


352  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

In  1895  an  important  change  in  the  Missionary  work  of  the  Diocese, 
first  proposed,  as  was  said,  in  1886,  was  made  by  the  substitution  of 
the  Archdeaconries  of  Buffalo  and  Rochester  for  the  four  Deaneries. 
The  chief  practical  difference  was  the  appointment  in  each  of  an 
Archdeacon,  with  a  sufficient  salary  to  enable  him  to  give  his  whole 
time  to  that  office,  and  a  Missionary  Board  taking  the  place  of  the 
former  Deanery  Convocations.*  Under  this  system  there  was  reported 
in  1896  a  considerable  advance  in  the  Missionary  work.  The  Arch- 
deacon of  Rochester  adds  that  its  practical  operation  appears  to  fur- 
ther the  three  purposes  for  which  the  Archdeaconries  were  erected  ; 
"  to  pave  the  way  for  the  long  contemplated  division  of  the  Diocese  ; 
to  relieve  the  Bishop  from  much  care  and  excessive  labour ;  and  to 
provide  more  direct  and  personal  attention   to  the  missions  in   the 

district."! 

A  few  words  must  be  said  here  on  the  parochial  work  of  the  Diocese 
in  the  later  years  of  Bishop  Coxe's  Episcopate,  in  addition  to  what  has 
been  already  noted. 

In  the  See  city  there  is  first  of  all  the  remarkable  work  of  the  Rev. 
Charles  H.  Smith  to  which  I  have  before  alluded.  In  1876,  after 
two  years'  work  in  city  missions,  he  became  Rector  of  S.  James's 
Church,  on  the  "  East  side,"  /.  e.,  the  business  and  labouring  part  of 
the  city,  having  even  then  a  great  foreign  population  which  has 
since  been  reinforced  by  an  immense  number  from  every  nation  of 
Europe.  S.  James  was  then  a  parish  of  244  communicants,  with  a 
small  wooden  church  a  mile  from  the  centre  line  of  the  city,  and  the 
only  church  in  all  that  half  of  Buffalo  ;  Trinity  and  S.  John's  being 
practically  on  the  west  side,  though  geographically  a  little  east  of 
Main  St.,  the  Broadway  of  Buffalo.  The  Rector  at  once  began  the 
work  of  founding  missions  and  building  churches  on  the  east  side,  at 
first  single-handed,  then  with  one,  two  and  so  on  to  half-a-dozen 
curates.  The  result  to  this  time  is  briefly  that  the  old  parish  church 
has  been  replaced  by  a  substantial  stone  church  of  good  architectural 


*  In  Buffalo  the  first  Archdeacon  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lobdell,  who,  being  still 
Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  was  assisted  by  a  General  Missionary.  In  1S98  he  was 
succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Charles  A.  Bragdon,  who,  as  well  as  the  Archdeacon  of 
Rochester,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Louis  C.  Washburn,  had  no  parochial  charge,  so  that 
both  were  able  to  give,  and  have  given, most  effective  supervision  of  the  missions. 

t  Joum.  1896,  p.  89. 


Il 


Buffalo  Churches,   1S80-96  353 

character,  with  rectory  and  parish  house  ;  and  around  it,  and  built  up 
wholly  or  mainly  from  it,  are  ei^ht  mission  churches,  of  which  two  or 
three  have  grown  into  substantial  parishes,  while  the  others  have 
church  buildings,  some  of  them  temporary,  but  quite  sufficient  for 
present  needs,  and  reporting  in  all  nearly  1.700  communicants  and 
1.400  Sunday-scholars.  Of  the  parish  and  missionary  work  carried 
on  in  all  these  I  cannot  begin  to  tell  ;  it  is  greatly  increased  in  labour 
and  also  in  efficiency  by  the  fact  that  the  parishioners  are  in  large  pro- 
portion made  up  of  the  families  of  employees  of  the  twenty  railroads 
centring  in  Buffalo.*  It  should  be  added  that  two  parishes  which 
did  not  spring  from  S.  James's  Church,  S.  Andrew-  and  S.  Barnabas, 
are  now  doing  a  good  work  farther  north  on  the  east  side  ;  as  does 
All  Saints  on  North  Main  St. 

In  the  mother  church  of  S.  Paul,  Dr.  Shelton's  successors  were  the 
Rev.  Dr.  John  W.  Brown  (1882-^8),  afterwards  so  well  known  as  Rector 
of  S.  Thomas,  New  York,  the  Rev.  Henry  A.  Adams  (1889-92),  and 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Jacob  A.  Regester,  the  present  Rector.  The  old  par- 
ish is  now  far  "  down-town,"  but  is  still  the  largest  in  the  city,  and, 
with  its  parish  house  and  the  beginning  of  an  endowment,  will  doubtless 
always  remain  the  centre  of  a  widely-extended  and  important  work. 

In  1888  a  small  but  beautiful  Norman  church  of  stone  on  Jewett 
Avenue,  four  miles  away  from  S.  Paul's,  was  consecrated  under  the 
name  of  ' '  The  Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd , "  as  the  gift  of  Mr.  Elam 
R.  Jewett  in  memory  of  Dr.  Edward  Ingersoll.  To  this  was  added  later 
a  rectory  and  parish  house,  given  mostly  by  the  widow  of  the  Founder, 
and  a  considerable  congregation  was  soon  gathered  in  that  new  part 
of  the  city  under  the  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Berry,  the  first  and  thus  far 
only  Rector.  The  Church  of  the  Ascension,  under  the  late  Dr. 
William  A.  Hitchcock,  and  S.  Mary's,  under  Dr.  Charles  F.  J.  Wrig- 
ley,  had  grown  into  large  and  strong  parishes  before  the  close  of  Bish- 
op Coxe's  Episcopate.       Grace  Church,  in  what  was  once  the  adjoin- 


*I  must  refer  to  Bishop  Coxe's  Address  of  1893  (Joum.  p.  189)  for  a  fuller  and 
appreciative  account  of  the  work  of  Dr.  Smith  and  the  help  given  in  it  by  the 
"equally  devoted  wife  who  delights  to  cheer  him  alike  with  her  patrimony  and 
with  her  heart  and  hand."  One  can  hardly  exaggerate  the  work  they  have  done 
and  the  good  accomplished  by  it,  for  a  people  among  whom  there  has  never  been, 
I  presume,  a  single  Churchman  of  wealth.  In  1S95  Hobart  College  gave  him  (its 
Valedictorian  of  1S70)  a  well-deserved  Doctorate  of  Divinity,  at  the  request  of 
the  Clergy  of  Buffalo. 


354  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

ing  village  of  Black  Rock  on  the  Niagara  River,  grew  slowly  but 
steadily  under  the  long  and  faithful  rectorship  of  Dr.  Louis  B.  Van 
Dyck,  and  his  successor  Charles  A.  Ricksecker,  and  its  mission  still 
farther  away,  S.  Mark's,  has  also  become  a  substantial  parish  with  a 
mission  of  its  own.  S.  Luke's,  under  Dr.  Walter  North,  and  S. 
John's,  under  the  Rev.  George  G.  Ballard,  built  new  churches  on  the 
West  side  some  years  ago.  In  the  chapel  of  the  Church  Home  the 
ministrations  of  the  Church  to  the  many  old  people  and  children  were 
faithfully  kept  up  year  after  year  by  a  succession  of  good  men.  Dr. 
Ingersoll,  Dr.  Howard,  and  Henry  S.  Huntington,  and  from  1896 
by  the  present  Chaplain,  the  Rev.  Jesse  Brush.* 

In  Rochester  a  memorable  work  was  done  in  S.  Luke's,  the  mother 
church  of  that  city,  in  the  thirty  years'  charge  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry 
Anstice.  Like  S.  Paul's  in  Buffalo,  the  old  parish  held  its  own  in 
spite  of  the  removal  of  so  many  of  its  best  families  to  the  East  Side, 
which  is  now  in  that  city  the  "  residence"  side;  and  its  societies 
and  means  of  charitable  work  grew  more  numerous  and  more  active 
each  year.  Like  S.  Paul's,  too,  it  has  made  a  substantial  beginning 
of  the  endowment  which  will  some  time  be  needed  to  carry  on  its 
beneficent  work.  Christ  Church,  in  the  long  rectorship  of  Dr.  Will- 
iam D'Orville  Doty,  ending  only  with  his  death,  Jan.  5,  1900,  came 
to  be  one  of  the  largest  and  most  efficient  parishes  of  the  city,  and  a 
magnificent  church  has  almost  literally  grozvn  out  of  the  little  brick 
church  bviilt  under  Bishop  Neely  in  1855,  and  several  times  enlarged. 
Of  the  work  of  S.  Andrew's  under  Dr.  Crapsey,  S.  James's,  under 
the  Rev.  James  H.  Dennis,  and  Trinity,  more  lately  under  the  Rev. 
Warren  C.  Hubbard,  I  have  spoken  before.  The  Church  of  the  Epiph- 
any, originally  a  chapel  of  S.  Luke's,  has  also  developed  into  a 
strong  and  active  parish  in  the  long  rectorship  (twenty  years)  of  Dr. 


*  At  the  beginning  of  Bishop  Coxe's  Episcopate,  Buffalo,  with  apopulation  of 
94,502,  had  seven  parishes  and  1,500  communicants.  It  has  now  (1903)  24 
parishes  and  missions  and  about  6,300  communicants,  with  a  population  (by  the 
census  of  1900)  of  352,387  ;  surely  enough  for  one  Bishop's  Parochia  !  It  will  be 
noted  that  in  38  years  the  Church  had  gained  on  the  population  from  i  communi- 
cant in  61  to  I  in  55,  notwithstanding  the  enormous  increase  of  foreign-bom  peo- 
ple. 

The  present  beautiful  chapel  of  the  Holy  Innocents  at  the  Church  Home  was 
consecrated  by  Bishop  Coxe  on  the  last  All  Saints'  Day  of  his  life,  as  the  gift  of 
Mr.  E.  H.  Hutchinson. 


Parochial  Work,  1880-96  355 

Amos  Skeele.  S.  Paul's,  where  so  noble  a  work  was  done  in  Bishop 
De  Lancey's  day  by  Dr.  Van  Ingen,  and  after  him  by  Dr.  Van  Rens- 
selaer, Dr.  Foote,  and  Dr.  Washburn,  some  years  ago  gave  up  its 
venerable  old  church  of  1829  for  a  new  and  well  appointed  building  two 
miles  farther  east,  gathering  thus  an  almost  new  congregation.* 
S.  Mark's,  another  mission  of  S.  Luke's,  has  also  grown  into  a  sub- 
stantial parish  in  a  poorer  part  of  the  city,  under  its  only  Rector  for  the 
nineteen  years  of  its  existence,  the  Rev.  Edward  P.  Hart,  a  graduate 
of  the  De  Lancey  Divinity  School. t 

It  is  impossible  even  to  mention  in  detail  the  many  similar  instances 
of  the  planting  and  growth  of  the  Church  in  the  smaller  towns  of  the 
Diocese  under  the  like  earnest  and  long-continued  pastoral  care. 
One  thing  is  apparent  through  it  all, — the  success  of  such  work  pro- 
portioned in  so  many  cases  to  the  permanency  of  the  pastoral  office. 
Numerical  growth  of  course  largely  depends  on  the  growth  and  busi- 
ness activity  of  the  town  itself  ;  but  that  alone  could  not  make  such 
parishes  as  have  been  built  up  at  Olean  under  Dr.  James  W.  Ashton  ; 
at  Jamestown  under  Spruille  Burford,  Dr.  Theodore  Bishop 
and  Andrew  Sidney  Dealey  ;  at  Lockport  (Grace  Church  and  its 
three  or  four  missions)  under  William  Frederick  Faber ;  Le 
Roy  under  Pierre  Cushing,  Geneseo  under  William  A.  Coale  and  Dr. 
Charles  H.  Boynton,  Coming  under  Dr.  R.  R.  Converse  and  Walter 
C.  Roberts,  Niagara  Falls  under  George  F.  Rosenmiiller  and  Philip 
W.  Mosher,  Bath  under  Dr.  Howard  and  Benjamin  S.  Sanderson, 
Hornellsville  under  Dr.  Windsor  and  Edwin  S.  Hoffman,  Canan- 
daigua  under  Eugene  J.  Babcock  and  Charles  J.  Clausen.  Many 
other  cases  there  are  where  equally  good  work  under  less  favouring 
circumstances  has  not  brought  the  same  apparent  increase,  but  is  no 
less  good  for  all  that ;  such  as  that  of  Dr.  Darnell  in  and  near  Avon,  Dr. 


*  The  olds.  Paul's,  with  its  Parish  House,  was  the  centre  of  an  important 
deaconess  work  during  Dr.  Louis  C.  Washburn's  rectorship,  under  Miss  Susan 
Mather,  one  of  the  three  deaconesses  of  the  Diocese  in  Bishop  Coxe's  time, — the 
other  two  being  Mrs.  Wickham,  whom  I  have  mentioned  before,  and  Miss 
Harriet  Dayton,  daughter  of  that  venerable  Churchman  of  old  times,  Judge  Day- 
ton of  Lockport. 

t  Rochester  had  in  1865  four  parishes  and  1,15c  communicants  in  a  population 
of  50,940.  It  has  now  12  parishes  and  4,022  communicants  to  162,608  population 
(census  of  1900).  In  this  case  the  gain  of  communicants  on  population  has  been 
from  I  in  44  to  i  in  39. 


356  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

Landers  at  Fredonia,  George  W.  S.  Ayers  at  Mayville,  Benjamin  F. 
Miller  at  Bradford,  Dr.  Henry  Spalding  at  Lyons,  Dr.  William  B.  Edson 
at  Clifton  Springs  and  Phelps,  E.  H.  Edson,  Jonathan  E.  Goodhue 
and  Dr.  Van  Dyck  at  Newark,  Francis  S.  Dunham  at  Albion,  and 
others  who  ought  to  be  mentioned  if  I  could  extend  indefinitely  this 
long  list  of  mere  names.  I  can  hardly  hope  that  the  instances  I  have 
noted  will  give  any  clear  idea  of  the  extension  of  the  Church  in  these 
later  years.* 


*  In  Geneva,  to  which  I  have  often  had  occasion  to  refer  as  a  centre  of  Church 
work  for  the  Eastern  end  of  the  Diocese,  the  two  parishes  now  report  1 140  com- 
municants in  a  population  of  about  i2,ooo^the  largest  proportion,  as  far  as  I 
am  informed,  in  any  city  in  the  United  States.  Here  and  in  Buffalo  are  two 
small  congregations  of  coloured  people,  the  only  such  in  the  Diocese.  A  mission 
has  been  begun  recently  among  the  Iroquois  (Seneca)  Indians  remaining  on  the 
*•  Cattaraugus  Reservation." 


CHAPTER  XLIX 

HE  restoration  of  Christian  Union  in  Unity  was, 
as  1  have  said,  the  deep  desire  and  hope  of  Bishop 
Coxe,  not  for  his  younger  and  more  sanguine  years 
only,  but  for  his  whole  life.  It  would  take  a  volume 
to  give  a  full  account  of  his  efforts  to  that  end  even  in 
his  last  years. 

In  October,  1887,  the  House  of  Bishops,  expressing  their  "  sym- 
pathy and  confidence  in  the  work  of  reform  in  France  conducted 
upon  the  Gallican  lines,"  appointed  Bishops  Coxe,  Lyman  and  Pot- 
ter a  committee  to  aid  in  that  work,  especially  by  helping  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Alberigh-Mackay,  who  had  come  from  Paris  to  raise  funds  for 
the  Mission  of  Pere  Hyacinthe  Loyson.  An  appeal  for  such  aid  was 
issued  by  them,  setting  forth  the  success  already  attained,  and  the 
conviction  of  even  the  French  Protestants  that  the  Church  of  France 
could  be  reformed  only  from  within.  During  the  winter  the  Bishop 
was  much  engaged  in  conferences  in  New  York  or  elsewhere,  in  prep- 
aration for  his  own  large  share  in  this  duty  immediately  before  the 
Lambeth  Conference  of  1888.  It  was  partly  for  this  reason  that  he 
took  passage  in  a  Havre  steamer  on  June  2,  and  went  directly  to 
Paris.*  His  first  step  there  was  a  conference  at  the  American  Church 
of  the  Holy  Trinity  with  the  Rector  and  others,  and  next,  devoting 
several  hours  daily  to  inquiry  and  effort,  and  visits  to  the  Gallican 
Churchmen  of  Paris  in  conjunction  with  Pere  Loyson.  Then  fol- 
lows his  Letter  to  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  explaining  with  great 
courtesy,  and  in  the  true  spirit,  as  it  seems  to  me,  of  a  primitive 
Bishop,  his  motives  and  purpose  in  visiting  that  Diocese,  making 
known  his  errand  "  not  more  truly  in  conforniity  with  primitive  canons 
than  out  of  respect  to  the  Archbishop's  person  and  his  official  dig- 
nity ;"   that  appeals  had  come  to  the  Anglo-American  Church  from 


*  He  mentions  visiting  the  steerage  passengers  (mostly  French  and  Italians) 
on  Sunday,  "exhorting  them  to  hallow  the  day,"  and  giving  them  tracts  in 
French  with  which  he  had  been  supplied  by  Mr.  William  H.  Bogart  of  Aurora, 
and  which  those  who  could  read  joyfully  accepted  and  read  aloud  to  the  others. 
On  landing  at  Havre  he  "  entered  a  church  and  prayed  for  the  Church  in  France," 
and  did  the  same  daily,  "  and  always  on  visiting  a  church  of  the  Roman  Rite." 


358  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

certain  of  the  faithful  Priests  and  Laymen  of  France,  "  truly  Catho- 
lics, as  that  precious  name  was  always  understood  before  the  divisions 
of  the  East  and  West,"  complaining  that  they  were  deprived  of  their 
Bishop's  fatherly  care  and  of  the  Sacraments  only  because  they 
adhere  to  Galilean  maxims  and  profess  the  Catholic  Faith  accord- 
ing to  the  rule  of  S.  Vincent  of  Lerins.  "  They  accept  the  canoni- 
cal primacy  of  the  great  Apostolic  See  of  the  West,  rejecting  only 
those  modern  pretensions  to  infallibility  and  supremacy  which  the 
whole  Galilean  Church  rejected  in  1682."  If  for  this  the  Archbishop 
deprives  them  of  pastoral  care,  they  are  entitled  to  "  temporary  and 
provisional  succour  "  at  the  hands  of  another  Bishop,  who,  "  not  to 
stimulate  schism,  but  the  reverse,"  will  administer  confirmation  to 
this  suffering  flock  if  their  own  Pastor  will  not  heed  this  appeal. 

And  as  the  appeal  was  unheard,  the  Bishop,  on  S.  John  Baptist's 
Day,  after  the  Morning  Service  in  the  American  Church,  confirmed 
(with  a  service  in  French)  36  candidates  in  the  temporary  French 
Church,  Pere  Loyson  reading  and  explaining  his  letter  to  the  Arch- 
bishop. For  this  Bishop  Coxewas  severely  criticised  in  the  Living 
Church  as  exceeding  his  commission  from  the  House  of  Bishops,  but 
was  fully  vindicated  by  other  Church  papers.* 

During  the  Lambeth  Conference  much  time  was  given  to  consulta- 
tion on  this  work.  The  Bishop  was  on  the  Committees  on  "  the 
Scandinavian  and  Old  Catholic  Churches,"  and  on  "  Authoritative 
Standards  of  Doctrine  and  Worship."  From  this  time  on  he  never 
ceased  his  labours  and  appeals  to  Churchmen  in  England  and  Amer- 
ica for  "  the  Galilean  work."  In  1888  alone  he  had  raised  and 
forwarded  to  Pere  Loyson  one  thousand  dollars,  and  the  next  and  fol- 
lowing years  considerable  additional  sums  ;  I  cannot  find  any  state- 
ment of  the  whole  amount,  but  it  must  have  been  large,  though  all 
too  little  for  the  needs  of  the  work. 

In  the  Old  Catholic  movement  in  Germany  and  Switzerland  he 
took  an  active  part  through  all  these  years.  At  the  Congress  of  Sep- 
tember, 1888,  at  Heidelberg,  after  ofiiciating  in  the  services  with 
Bishop  Reinkens,  he  made  an  address  "  in  response  to  their  enthusi- 
astic reception  of  an  American  Bishop,"  and  took  part  in  the  follow- 
ing sessions.  In  his  Journals  of  years  following  are  frequent  notices 
of  "  conferences  on  Galilean  work,"  "  organizing  (with    other   Bish- 


*   Church  Kalendar,  IX.  50,  52,  57  ;    Churchman,  LXIII.  3. 


I 


Bishop  Coxi:  in  France  359 

ops)  a  Galilean  League,"  "  preaching  in  behalf  of  (Jallican  restora- 
tion," on  "  the  perishing  condition  of  Christianity  in  P'rance,"  on 
"  the  German  and  Swiss  Reformation,  and  the  Anglican  Restora- 
tion," on  "the  Old  Catholics  and  the  Gallicans,"  and  the  like.  He 
had  much  correspondence  with  the  Bishops  of  Holland  on  their  part 
in  the  Old  Catholic  movement  and  their  doubtful  attitude  towards  the 
Anglican  Church,  taking  great  pains  to  set  before  them  her  true 
Catholic  position  and  teaching.  From  some  of  the  clergy  of  that 
Church  he  received  responses  of  much  interest  showing  the  new  light 
on  this  subject  which  they  had  gained  from  his  presentation  of  it.* 
In  1893  (March  25)  he  records  his  resignation  "  as  visiting  liishop  of 
the  Galilean  Church,  preparatorj'  to  the  acceptance  of  provisional 
charge  of  the  same  by  the  Archbishop  of  Utrecht."  From  this  time 
his  attention  was  given  more  to  the  conferences  with  Protestant 
bodies,  the  Presbyterians  particularly,  in  regard  to  efforts  towards 
Christian  Unity.  His  part  in  this  work  is  too  well  known  to  require 
special  remark  ;  I  have  already  noted  (p.  325)  its  beginning  in  the 
Christian  Unity  Society  of  1864.  From  1888  he  was  in  frequent  if 
not  constant  correspondence  with  Presbyterian  divines  like  Dr. 
Shields  and  Prof.  Austin  Phelps.  In  October,  1892,  he  notesa  meeting 
with  the  Bishop  of  Alabama  and  a  committee  of  Presbyterian  Pas- 
tors on  Christian  Unity,  at  Baltimore  ;  in  the  same  month  another  at 
Princeton  ;  and  so  on  month  after  month,  conferences  recorded  and 
commented  on  fully,  as  most  of  my  readers  will  remember,  in  the 
religious  and  secular  papers  of  the  time,  and,  however  apparently 
fruitless  thus  far  in  any  definite  or  corporate  action,  certainly  of 
much  value  in  the  spirit  which  they  evoked  in  behalf  of  better  rela- 
tions between  Christian  bodies  having  so  much  in  common. 

The  very  depth  and  intensity  of  the  Bishop's  convictions  in  regard 
to  unity  on  primitive  and  Catholic  principles  gave  a  force  to  his  ab- 
horrence of  the  modern  Papal  system  as  the  great  obstacle  to  its 
attainment,  which  often,  I  think,  caused  his  real  position  to  be  misun- 
derstood. It  would  be  useless  to  defend  all  his  impulsive  and  vehe- 
ment utterances  against  Romanism  and  Romanists  as  strictly  reason- 
able, or  consistent  with  his  positive  belief  and  practice.  So  much  his 
most  loyal  and  devoted  friends  have  often  and  regretfully  had   to  ac- 


*    See  in  Churchman,    LXI.  140,  47S,  554,  630,    his  correspondence    with    Fr. 
Van  Santen,  of  Dordrecht,  and  remarks  on  the  same. 


360  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

knowledge.  But  such  utterances  attracted  from  the  public,  and  from 
those  who  knew  little  of  him  personally,  an  utterly  disproportionate 
attention,  as  compared  with  those  in  which  he  set  forth  true  Catholic 
principles.  He  himself  has  told  of  the  shock  of  bitter  disappointment 
which  the  secession  of  Newman  gave  him,  and  from  which,  it  may  be 
said,  he  never  recovered.  In  the  criticisms  of  his  letters  of  1866  on 
Dr.  Pusey's  Eirenicon,  his  argument  does  not  seem  to  me  to  touch  the 
pleadings  of  that  book,  but  is  directed  against  the  supposed  consequen- 
ces drawn  from  them  by  others.  And  so  in  later  years  he  repeatedly 
denounces  doctrinal  and  ritual  errors  which  he  does  7iot  specify,  and 
which  were  in  fact,  as  it  seems  to  me,  not  at  all  clearly  defined  in  his 
own  mind.  In  his  Address  of  1886  he  maintains  that  *'  Liberal  " 
Romanists  are  good  citizens  ;  that  he  has  no  fear  of  such  ecclesiastics 
as  the  early  prelates  like  Carroll  and  Cheverus,  or  laymen  like  Chief 
Justice  Taney,  "  a  true  patriot,"  whose  family  were  his  own  parish- 
ioners in  Baltimore.  In  his  introduction  to  Hirscher's  work,  as 
quoted  on  p.  323  above,  he  cannot  withhold  his  sympathy  from  one 
who  like  Schlegel  gave  his  adhesion  to  Romanism  rather  than  to 
Protestantism  which  was  practically  infidelity,  though  he  cannot  even 
contemplate  the  possibility  of  such  a  position  as  suggested  in  the 
Eirenicon  in  the  almost  impossible  case  that  the  Church  of  England 
should  commit  itself  to  heretical  teaching. 

So  in  the  miserable  personal  and  ritual  controversies  of  1870-75, 
which  are  now  almost  forgotten,  and  which  I  should  hope  no  one 
would  wish  to  remember,  the  Bishop  was  greatl)'-  misunderstood, 
though  here  again  it  must  be  admitted  that  he  was  neither  clear  nor 
consistent,  any  more  than  were  some  of  his  opponents. 

In  his  Charge  of  1885  on  "  The  Church  of  Law  and  the  Law  of 
the  Church,"  he  lays  down  the  principle  that  the  Ordinary  is  to  be 
consulted  not  only  in  doubt  but  in  silence  of  law,  and  that  variations 
from  ordinary  use  not  thus  sanctioned  must  be  deemed  "  novel  and 
unauthorized  ; "  a  principle  which  might  be  taken  logically  to  mean  that 
a  Parish  Priest  must  do  nothing  which  was  not  expressly  ordered 
either  by  the  Prayer  Book  or  the  Bishop.  But  this  was  probably  very 
far  from  his  meaning.  When  he  comes  to  give  applications  of  the 
principle,  the  things  condemned  are  the  saying  of  the  General 
Thanksgiving  by  Priest  and  People  together, — saying  the  invocations 
of  the  Litany  together, — using  Te  Deum  as    an  Anthem    on  ordinary 


DE  LAN'CEV  SCHOOL   FOR  (WKLS,  (iFlXI.VA 


I 


I 


i 


The   Ritual  Controversy  361 

Sundays,  and  such  like  usages,  most  of  which,  I  believe,  are  nearly 
unknown  in  this  Diocese,  though  approved  in  some  others.  In  some 
other  matters  the  Bishop  was  curiously  conservative  of  old  customs. 
He  regretted  the  disuse  of  the  gown  and  bands,  and  not  only  insisted 
on  their  being  worn,  for  some  years,  by  the  preacher  at  Convention, 
but  persuaded  Dr.  Ingersoll,  the  first  one  to  abandon  those  vestments 
about  1852,  to  revive  them  for  a  time  in  his  last  years  in  Trinity 
Church,  Buffalo.  So  he  wished  to  preserve  what  Bishop  De  Lancey, 
who  disliked  it  extremely,  used  to  call  the  ■'  tub  pulpit."  He  would 
have  restored  by  canonical  provision  in  his  own  Diocese  the  saying 
of  the  General  Confession  after  the  Minister  (clause  by  clause),  re- 
garding the  opinion  of  the  House  of  Bishops  and  direction  of  the 
General  Convention  of  1835  as  utterly  illegal,  and  Bishop  Hopkins's 
refusal  to  obey  it  as  fully  justified.*  He  had  expressed  himself 
against  Eucharistic  lights  in  the  "  Declaration"  of  28  Bishops  in 
1867,  andhe  reiterated  this  opinion  in  1890!  on  the  ground  that  they 
were  not  expressly  authorized  in  this  country,  though  lawful,  as  he 
believes,  in  the  Church  of  England  ;  and  quotes  Bishop  De  Lancey  as 
not  objecting  to  the  lights  in  themselves,  but  "to  their  introduction 
against  all  preceding  usage,  by  wilfulness  of  private  judgment. "t 
But  although  Bishop  Coxe  in  several  instances  advised  against  this 
use,  he  never,  so  far  as  I  am  informed,  attempted  to  enforce  this  ad- 
vice, although  in  one  instance  at  least  he  was  severely    and  unjustly 


•Charge  of  1885.  {Church  Kalevdar,  VI.  289  seq.;  Churchman,  Sept.,  1885). 
The  opinion  was  given  pursuant  to  a  resolution  of  the  House  of  Deputies  asking 
for  such  counsel  "in  order  that  such  measures  may  be  taken  as  will  maintain 
uniformity  of  practice  in  this  behalf,  in  conformity  to  ancient  usage."  (Joum. 
Gen.  Convention,  1835,  pp.  24,  65,  102.) 

t  "(iodly  Counsels,"  Churchman,  LXII.  376  (Sept.  27,  1890).  The  special 
things  censured  by  this  now  almost  forgotten  "  Declaration  "  were  altar  lights, 
incense,  "  reverences  to  the  Holy  Table  or  to  the  Elements  thereon"  implying 
false  views  of  the  Eucharistic  Sacrifice,  and  "  the  adoption  of  clerical  habits 
hitherto  unknown,  or  material  alterations  of  those  which  have  been  in  use  since 
the  establishment  of  our  P^piscopate." 

t  As  a  matter  of  fact  Bishop  De  Lancey  never  expressed  an  opinion  on  the 
subject  in  any  official  way;  he  only  said  (seep.  179  above),  that  "in  this  Diocese 
there  are  no  emblematic  candles  on  the  Altar,"  and  "  no  substitution  of  the 
Surplice  for  the  CiowTi  in  the  pulpit,"  except  in  "the  emergency  of  not  having  a 
Gown,"  which  latter  "emergency  "  soon  after  became  the  rule,  without  any  au- 
thorization or  any  objection  on  the  Bishop's  part.     (Joum.  1846,  p.  48.) 


362  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

censured  for  having  done  so.*  So  the  lights  were  constantly  used  in 
some  parishes  through  most  of  his  Episcopate,  with  his  full  knowl- 
edge, and  without  one  word  of  objection  from  him.  He  protested 
strongly  against  the  positions  of  Bishop  Hopkins's  "  Law  of  Ritual- 
ism "  in  regard  to  vestments,  even  white  and  coloured  stoles,  which 
however  came  to  be  later  a  general  fashion  here  as  everywhere  else.f 
I  have  already  noted  his  express  sanction  and  example  of  the  Eucha- 
ristic  use  of  alb  and  chasuble.  $  He  did  not  like  the  omission  of 
the  Litany  after  Morning  Prayer  on  Communion  Sundays  ;  but  he 
would  not  interfere  where  that  omission  was  a  parochial  "  use."  But 
the  truth  is  that  the  Bishop  was  apt  to  be  governed  very  much  in  such 
matters  by  his  confidence  (or  want  of  it)  in  the  clergyman's  loyalty  to 
the  Church. 

But  with  all  the  Bishop's  peculiar  ideas  of  ceremonial,  which  were 
sometimes  puzzling  and  perplexing  to  those  who  did  not  know  him  well, 
he  had  a  rare  liturgical  instinct  which  somehow  always  brought  him 
out  right  in  the  end.§      His  own  part  in  the  service — attitude,  read- 


*  It  was  in  this  particular  case  that  Bishop  Coxe  told  me  that  he  expressly  did 
not  enforce  his  opinion,  but  gave  his  advice  on  sccount  of  the  state  of  feeling  in 
that  parish  ;  and  added  emphatically  that  "for  his  own  part,  he  would  be  glad  to 
see  Eucharistic  lights  on  every  altar  in  his  Diocese,  but  felt  bound  to  wait  until 
they  were  expressly  authorized." 

t  Here  the  Bishop  was,  it  seems  to  me,  entirely  in  the  righ*^,  so  far  as  the 
Daily  Office  is  concerned,  as  is  clearly  shown  in  the  full  and  conclusive  evidence 
of  primitive  usage  in  Marriott's  "  Vestiarium  Christianum."  But  the  later  useof 
coloured  stoles  as  Eucharistic  vestments  is  quite  another  thing,  and  would,  I  am 
sure,  have  met  with  no  objection  from  Bishop  Coxe.  In  fact,  he  "desired" 
■white  stoles  for  Easter- Tide  to  be  authorized.       (Kalertdar,  I.  119.) 

J  See  Ch.  XXXV.  p.  234.  These  vestments  were  in  use  in  a  small  number  of 
churches  in  the  Diocese  all  through  Bishop  Coxe's  time.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  he  wrote  the  Report  of  the  Committee  of  the  House  of  Bishops  of  1886  on 
"  Vestments,"  which  expresses  the  opinion  that  the  "  historic  fact  "  of  the  use 
of  the  mitre  by  Bishops  Seabury  and  Claggett  "  justifies  any  Bishop  in  resuming 
it."  But  I  cannot  imagine  that  any  process  of  reasoning  would  have  induced 
the  Bishop  himself  to  resume  that  "  vestment."  He  would  have  been  glad,  like 
Bishop  Lyman,  to  lay  aside  his  "  chimere  "  in  summer  or  exchange  it  for  a 
"cloth  cope  "  in  winter. 

§  On  one  memorable  occasion,  the  clergyman  in  charge,  who  had  been  reduced  to 
despair  at  the  Bishop's  changes  in  the  arrangement  of  the  service  at  the  last 
moment,  said  to  me  after  it  was  all  over,  "  I  never  saw  a  man  who  had  such  a 
capacity  for  tangling  things  all  up,  and  then  bringing  perfect  order  out  of  them  all 


BisHoi'  Coxe's  Last  Work  363 

ing,  gestures,  were  according  to  no  rule  except  his  own,  but  impressed 
every  one  with  the  aspect  of  deep  and  sincere  devotion  ;  and,  on  the 
rare  occasions  when  he  was  willing  to  sing  his  part  in  the  Kucharistic 
Office,  W'ith  the  added  melody  of  a  voice  whose  every  utterance  was 
sweet  to  hear. 

One  would  gladly  linger  long  on  these  personal  traits,  which  have 
left  a  charm  in  the  very  memory  of  the  good  Bishop  on  all  who  had  the 
happiness  to  know  him.  But  I  have  only  left  myself  room  to  tell 
briefly  the  story  of  his  last  days. 

Up  to  the  Council  of  1896  the  Bishop  had  kept  up  fairly  with  his 
usual  work,  officiating  frequently  when  at  home  in  the  Chapel  of  the 
Holy  Innocents  at  the  Church  Home,  which  was  then  vacant  by  the 
decease  of  the  Rev.  Henry  S.  Huntington.  On  Easter  Day  he  offi- 
ciated and  preached  four  times,  at  S.  Philip's,  Trinity,  Fort  Porter 
and  S.  Paul's,  and  the  next  day  gave  a  Lecture  to  the  University 
Club  on  "  English  University  Men  "  whom  he  had  known.*  I  should 
note  that  he  had  taken  his  full  part  in  the  General  Convention  of  1895, 
at  Minneapolis,  where  he  preached  the  opening  sermon,  one  remem- 
bered and  often  mentioned  as  of  extraordinary  power  and  eloquence. 
He  also  "  presided  in  the  Commission  on  Christian  Unity,  and  wel- 
comed the  Rev.  Dr.  Smith,  from  the  Committee  of  the  Presbyterian 
General  Assembly,  to  a  Conference,  "t  At  Minneapolis  he  officiated 
in  the  Swedish  Church  of  S.  Ansgarius,  and  the  Swedish  Rite  as 
revised  by  Bishop  Kemper  ;  but  he  is  careful  to  record  that  he  read 
the  Gospel  in  the  Missa  and  gave  the  Benediction  in  English.  Later 
comes  a  conference  with  the  Bishop  of  Utah  "on  the  condition  of 


at  the  end."  It  was  at  the  same  sen-ice  that  the  Bishop  interrupted  a  venerable 
clergyman  who  had  begun  the  First  Lesson  two  or  three  chapters  out  of  the  way, 
with  "  my  dear  brother,  we  cannot  have  the  wrong  lesson  on  such  a  day  as  this!" 
and  found  the  place  for  him. 

♦"Blessed  be  God  for  enabling  me  to  do,  and  to  enjoy  doing,  this  day's 
blessed  work,  and  that  of  the  Octave  just  concluded.  Amen.  On  this  day, 
one-and-thirty  years  ago — blessed  be  God  for  His  sparing  mercy — Bishop 
Ue  Lancey  resting  from  his  labours,  I  began  my  work  as  Diocesan  Bishop. 
Forgive  me  all  my  mistakes  and  faults,  Blessed  Jesus,  my  Master  and  Redeemer. 
Amen."     (Bishop's  Journal  of  1S96,  not  published  by  him.) 

t  "A  week  full  of  work;  full  of  mercies;  full  of  wondere ;  for  this  North- 
west is  full  of  wonders  in  itself ;  and  Faribault  and  its  Bishop  are  the  greatest  of 
all.  Finally,  this  last  record  renews  the  Savoy  Conference  in  a  better  spirit." 
Journal,  p.  207. 


364  Diocese   of  Western  New  York 

Nevada,  and  the  results  of  work  among  the  Mormons  ;"  a  conference 
at  New  York  (in  January,  1896)  on  the  Revision  of  the  Constitution 
and  Canons  ;  a  Lecture  to  the  Church  Club  on  "  an  Ideal  Hymnal  "; 
devotions  and  lectures  to  the  Candidates  of  his  Diocese  in  the  General 
Theological  Seminary;  preaching  at  Lakewood,  N.  J.  (his  frequent 
place  of  rest  those  last  years),  to  the  servants  and  employees  of  the 
house,  on  the  Imitation  of  Christ  in  Lent  (several  times  repeated)  ; 
consecrating  the  Rev.  Dr.  Satterlee  as  Bishop  of  Washington  in  Cal- 
vary Church,  New  York,  his  own  former  church  ;  further  conferences 
with  the  new  Bishop,  on  the  Standard  Bible,  and  with  the  Seminary 
students  ;   and  so  on.* 

After  the  Council  of  May,  1896,  it  was  evident  to  all  that  the 
Bishop  was  a  stricken  man.  But  he  officiated  three  times  in  Buffalo 
on  Whitsun  Day  ;  presided  the  next  day  at  the  Annual  Dinner  of  the 
Alumni  of  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  and  on  Wednesday  at 
the  Examinations  and  Commencement  ;  on  Thursday  and  Friday 
held  various  conferences  in  New  York,  and  on  Saturday,  at  Geneva, 
"  with  Mr.  Chew,  regarding  the  proposed  new  chancel  of  Trinity 
Church,  and  my  burial  place;  "  on  Trinity  Sunday,  in  S.  Paul's, 
Buffalo,  held  an  examination,  and  ordinations  to  the  Diaconate  and 
Priesthood  ;  the  following  month,  officiated  at  a  special  office  and 
visitation  for  the  Livingston  Park  School  in  Rochester,  at  Geneseo, 
Mount  Morris,  Phelps,  S.  Margaret's  School  and  the  Church  Home, 
Buffalo,  De  Veaux  College,  the  De  Lancey  School  for  Girls  and 
Hobart  College  ;  and  on  the  third  Sunday  after  Trinity,  June  21,  held 
his  last  Ordination  in  my  little  church  at  Phelps,  admitting  Mr.  Cuth- 
bert  O.  S.  Kearton  to  the  Diaconate, f  and  officiating  at  Clifton  Springs 


*  "Feb.  26.     One  hundred  years  since  the  death  of  Bishop  Seabury.     R.  I.  P. 

"Feb.  29.  The  last  Leap  Year  Day  I  shall  ever  see,  probably.  .  .  'So 
teach  us  to  nuniber  our  days.'     Amen."     Joum.  p.  208. 

t  On  this  day  he  notes  :  "  The  Solstice  already  reached.  Eheu  !  '  So  teach 
us.'  Renewed  the  thoughts  of  June  27,  1841,  when  Hobart  and  I  were  ordained 
to  the  Diaconate,  on  this  Third  Sunday  after  Trinity,  five  and  fifty  years  ago. 
How  long  and  patiently  the  Lord  has  borne  with  my  imperfect  services  !  Blessed 
be  His  Name.     Miserere  Jesu.     Amen." 

The  Bishop's  Sermon  at  this  Ordination  was  in  strict  accordance  with  the 
Rubric  ("declaring  the  duty  and  office  of  such  as  come  to  be  admitted,"  etc.), 
and  his  address  to  the  candidate  is  noted  in  my  Diary  as  "  the  most  fitting  and 
impressive  that  I  ever  heard  on  a  like  occasion."  But  he  was  quite  ill,  and  kept 
his  room  from  the  end  of  the  service  till  he  went  to  Clifton  Springs  at  5  p.  m., 
taking  no  food  but  a  little  malted  milk.     I  think  he  did  not  preach  in  the  evening. 


Bishop  Coxe's  Last  Days  365 

in  the  eveninj^.  The  next  Sunday  he  held  a  Confirmation  at  Jamestown, 
at  the  other  end  of  the  Diocese,  and  preached,  thou^di  too  ill  to 
stand.*  The  next  day,  at  Randolph,  "weak,  and  at  tiiiics  in  pain, 
unable  to  digest  a  scant  invalid's  breakfast,"  he  "  worked  through 
the  day,  officiating,  preaching  and  confirming,  with  exhortation  ;  " 
and  the  day  following,  "  spent  in  pain  and  growing  weakness,"  he 
oflficiated  at  the  funeral  of  Gen.  Howard  in  Buffalo.  The  next  day, 
July  1,  he  held  various  conferences,  met  the  Board  of  Education, 
and  distributed,  as  every  year,  the  "  Ketcham  Medals  "  at  the  Acad- 
emy ;  on  the  4th  attended  the  special  service  at  S.  Paul's  ;  on  Sun- 
day, the  5th,  '•  did  a  day's  work,  though  suffering  greatly,"  having 
"  an  early  celebration.  Morning  Service  in  private  at  home,  then  went 
to  Trinity  Church,  to  hear  the  Sermon  by  a  young  clergyman  who 
wishes  to  come  into  the  Diocese  ;  in  the  afternoon  drove  to  the  pretty 
little  church  of  S.  Jude,  which  1  opened  as  an  oratory,  preached,  and 
confirmed,  thence  drove  to  the  Rectory,  took  only  a  little  malted  milk 
which  I  had  brought  with  me  ;  thence  to  S.  Stephen's  Church,  where 
I  confirmed  with  exhortation  only. -(-God  grant  me  His  aid  !-f-Amen." 
After  a  laborious  day  on  Monday,  with  letters,  etc.,  "  preparing  to 
leave  home,"  he  officiated  on  Tuesday,  the  7th,  amid  similar  work, 
at  the  opening  exercises  of  the  National  Education  Convention  in 
Buffalo,  (his  last  public  duty,)  and  at  a  late  hour  in  the  evening 
reached  the  Sanitarium  at  Clifton  Springs,  where  his  few  remaining 
days  were  spent.  On  the  following  Sunday,  the  12th,  he  "  confirmed 
a  sufferer  in  the  hospital  "  of  the  Sanitarium.  On  the  i8th,  Satur- 
day, is  the  last  entry  in  his  Journal.  "  So  I  reach  the  close  of  another 
week.  How  short  my  time  is  !  May  I  w^ork  while  my  time  lasts. 
Amen."t 

It   seems  that  on   Monday  the    Bishop  felt    much   better,   and  for 
this  and  other  reasons  was  preparing  to  return  home.       He  went  out 


*  "  Gave  address  from  my  chair  in  a  familiar  way  as  to  a  dear  people,  whom  I 
thought  proper  to  take  into  my  confidence.     A  Blessed  Day." 

t  On  Thursday,  the  i6th,  I  went  to  the  Springs  to  see  the  Bishop,  who, 
though  very  feeble,  was  bright  as  ever,  but  evidently  much  worried  about  dio- 
cesan matters.  As  I  left  him  after  an  hour's  talk  (not  much  of  it  by  me),  I  said, 
"  Bishop,  I  wish  you  would  go  away  and  not  think  of  the  Diocese  or  anything 
in  it  for  six  weeks."  "  O,  if  I  only  could  !"  said  he.  And  then  followed  a 
loving  remembrance  to  my  daughters  and  thanks  for  "  their  kind  care  of  him  " 
at  his  recent  visit, — the  last  words  I  heard  from  him. 


366  Diocese  of  Western  New  York 

and  bought  tickets  for  himself  and  his  wife,  and  afterwards  sat  longer 
than  usual  at  dinner,  in  an  earnest  and  (it  must  have  been)  deeply 
interesting  conversation  on  "  the  Resurrection  of  the  Body."  A  few 
minutes  later  the  end  came,  as  Bishop  Andrewes  prayed  that  it  might 
come  to  him,  "  Christian,  acceptable,  sinless,  shameless,  and  if  it 
please  Thee,  painless." 

There  is  little  to  be  added.  On  Friday,  July  25,  the  body  of  the 
great  Bishop  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  spot  which  he  had  closen  and  con- 
secrated, and  where  three  of  his  children  were  buried,  under  the  altar 
window  of  Trinity  Church,  Geneva.  By  his  own  desire  the  services 
were  as  simple  as  possible.  There  was  an  early  and  second  Eucha- 
rist before  the  Burial  Service  at  half  past  two.  Seven  Bishops  (of 
Maine,  Albany,  Springfield,  Kentucky,  Pittsburgh,  North  Dakota  and 
Ohio),  and  ninety  clergymen  were  present,  with  a  great  number  of 
laymen  representing  authorities  and  parishes  of  the  Diocese,  and  from 
other  dioceses.  Owing  to  a  heavy  rain,  the  Committal  was  attended 
only  by  the  Bishop  of  Albany  and  the  bearers,  the  family  looking  on 
from  the  vestry  room,  while  in  the  church  hymns  were  sung  and 
the  Benediction  given  by  the  Bishop  of  Maine.  After  the  service  a 
Minute  on  behalf  of  the  Clergy  was  read,  and  brief  addresses  were 
made  by  Bishops  Doane,  Neely,  Seymour  and  Leonard.* 

On  the  6th  of  October  a  Special  Convention  of  the  Diocese  for  the 
election  of  a  Bishop  was  held  in  Trinity  Church,  Buffalo.  It  was 
preceded  by  a  service  at  S.  Paul's  in  memory  of  Bishop  Coxe,  with  a 
Sermon  by  the  Bishop  of  Albany.  Nearly  all  the  clergy  of  the  Dio- 
cese attended,  and  most  of  the  Ministers  of  other  religious  bodies  in 
the  city.  Bishop  Doane 's  text  was  "  I  thank  my  God  always  oti  your 
behalf  ,  for  tJie  grace  of  God  which  is  given  you  by  fesus  Christ ;  that 
ifi  everything  ye  are  enriched  by  him,  in  all  utterance,  and  in  all 
knowledge.  ^^  I  wish  I  could  give  all  or  most  of  the  Sermon  here  ;  but 
it  was  not  only  printed  and  widely  circulated  in  the  Diocese,  but  was 
read  in  many  churches  soon  after  as  a  just  and  discriminating  as  well 
as  loving  and  beautiful  tribute  to  the  great  Bishop.  "Richness,  utter- 
ance, knowledge,"  he  truly  says,  were  the  "  three  salient  features  of 
the  dead  Bishop's  character."  Each  of  these  features  he  depicts  at 
large  in  words  which  I  would  gladly  repeat ;  but  I  quote  only  one 
almost  final  remark  as  illustrating  what  I  have  said  above  of  the  Bish- 
op's manifoldness  of  character. 

*  This  meeting  was  not  a  public  one. 


Bishop  Doank's  Mkmoriai,  Sermon  367 

"  The  very  many-sidedness  of  the  man,  some  sides,  seen  by  them- 
selves, of  course  less  beautiful  than  others,  makes  very  difticult  his 
characterization.  The  philosophy  of  his  life,  I  think,  might  well  be 
described  as  holding  in  solution  almost  antagonistic  elements,  which 
sometimes  came  apart.  For  instance,  while  he  was  himself  more 
than  precise  and  punctilious  in  the  details  of  Divine  service,  certain 
phases,  perhaps  I  may  say  fads,  of  what  is  called  ritualism,  irritated 
him  extremely.  While  he  was  absolutely  inclusive,  in  his  tolerant 
spirit,  of  all  sorts  and  shades  of  religious  thinking  and  opinion,  there 
was  at  times  in  him  an  outbreak  of  absolute  intolerance,  towards 
those  who  differed  from  his  strong  convictions.  And  while  there  was 
in  him  a  real  broadness  of  thought,  of  inclusion,  of  sympathy,  —  much 
broader,  in  my  judgment,  than  a  certain  phase  of  thought  which  is  so 
labelled, — he  was  essentially  and  intensely  an  ecclesiastic  ;  and,  not 
content  only,  but  constrained,  to  hold  fast  by  all  the  limitations  of  so- 
called  liberty,  and  all  the  definitions  of  positive  truth,  which  the 
Church  lays  down.  I  believe  that  the  near  view  of  those  who  knew 
most  intimately  his  daily  life,  and  the  far  view  which  men  will  have  of 
him  in  the  years  to  come,  justify  the  portrait  which  I  have,  however 
poorly,  painted,  and  the  positions  which,  with  careful  guardedness  of 
language,  I  have  assigned  to  him  in  the  American  Church. 
Today  I  join  with  the  Church  in  this  city  and  Diocese  to  thank  our 
God  on  this  and  every  remembrance  of  him  with  joy  ;  for  his  rule  over 
you  as  Bishop  and  Shepherd  of  your  souls  ;  for  his  pre-eminence  of 
place  and  power  among  us  his  brothers  in  the  Episcopate  ;  for  the 
beauty  of  his  soul  ;  for  the  tenderness  of  his  heart  ;  for  the  nobleness 
of  his  mind  ;  for  the  dignity  of  his  character  ;  for  the  courtesy  of  his 
person  ;  for  the  grace  of  his  manners  ;  for  the  charm  of  his  conversa- 
tion ;  for  the  courage  of  his  convictions  ;  for  the  thoroughness  of  his 
learning ;  for  the  loyalty  of  his  Churchmanship  ;  for  the  depth  and 
devoutness  of  his  piety  ;  for  the  holiness  and  masterfulness  of  his 
faith  ;  '  for  the  praise  of  him  in  all  the  churches  ';  for  the  consecrated 
service  of  his  life  ;  '  for  the  happy  opportunity  of  his  death' ;  for  his 
entrance  into  Paradise  and  his  intercession  for  us  there  ;  for  his 
'  reasonable  and  religious  hope  '  of  a  '  good  answer  at  the  dreadful  and 
fearful  Judgment  seat  of  Jesus  Christ.'  " 

Noble  words.  But  I  would  not  have  quoted  them,  did  I  not  believe 
in  my  heart,  and  know  that  so  many  others  believe,  that  they  are 
every  one  words  of  truth  and  soberness.  It  seems  like  gilding  refined 
gold  to  add  anything  of  my  own  to  them  ;  but  I  must  give  one  word 
of  testimony,  one  which  so  many  others  could  give  from  personal 
experience,  to  tw-o  qualities  which  were  pre-eminent  in  Bishop  Coxe, 
I  think  both  by  nature  and  by  grace, — absolute  sincerity  and  absolute 
unselfishness.       I  doubt  if  either  quality  was  fairly  appreciated,  if  it 


368 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


was  even  recognized,  by  those  who  met  him  only  in  official  or  busi- 
ness matters,  unless  indeed  they  had  something  of  his  nature  or  his 
ideals  of  life  in  themselves.  I  know  that  many  thought  him  insincere 
because  he  was  so  apt  to  act  and  to  promise  on  impulses,  most  often 
noble  and  generous  ones,  which  proved  in  the  end,  to  his  own  disap- 
pointment as  well  as  theirs,  impracticable  to  carry  into  full  effect. 
There  were  others  who  thought — I  cannot  imagine  why — that  he  was 
more  or  less  influenced  by  wealth  or  worldly  station  or  success  ;  if  any 
man  on  earth  habitually  despised  such  considerations,  I  should  say  it 
was  Bishop  Coxe.  With  those  characteristics  was  united  a  tenderness 
(I  can  find  no  other  word)  to  those  brought  into  any  close  relation 
with  him  even  by  his  kindly  sympathy,  much  more  by  ties  of  kindred 
and  family,  such  as  very  few  earthly  lives  exhibit.  Those  knew  it 
who  only  saw  him  in  his  home,  whether  with  his  accomplished  and 
devoted  wife,  whose  very  life  was  given  day  by  day  to  guarding  his 
life  from  sickness  and  sorrow,  or  in  the  happy  days  when  he  was 
gathering  his  children  and  his  twelve  grandchildren  in  the  See  House 
for  the  Christmas  holidays,  with  a  heart  as  full  of  joyful  anticipation 
as  were  theirs.  Those  knew  it  who  came  to  him  with  atiy  grief  or 
trouble  in  which  it  was  possible  for  him  to  give  comfort  or  help, 
whether  it  was  of  mind,  body  or  estate.  I  fear  he  was  too  often  him- 
self the  sufferer  for  the  benefit  of  others  ;  but  even  for  this  I  doubt 
not  he  had  his  reward  in  the  very  consciousness  of  entering  heart  and 
hand  into  their  trials.  But  I  must  not  go  on  ;  it  seems  like  intruding 
into  a  royal  palace  to  say  even  thus  much  of  things  which  belonged  at 
least  in  part  to  his  innermost  life.  How  many  of  us  in  Western  New 
York  can  thank  God  daily  that  our  lives  were  permitted  to  touch  even 
the  outer  surface  of  that  life  !* 


*  Perhaps  none  will  feel  more  deeply  the  truth  of  what  I  have  said  here  of  the 
Bishop's  sincerity  and  unselfishness,  as  well  as  his  gracious  and  tender  courtesy 
and  kindness,  than  the  Clergy  and  their  families  who  were  happy  in  having  him 
for  their  guest  on  his  visitations.  I  must  tell  of  one  summer  Sunday  afternoon 
in  my  study  which  shows  amusingly  that  impulsive  sincerity  which  took  no  thought 
of  consistency.  Taking  down  book  after  book,  he  came  at  last  on  a  family  his- 
tory. "  I  never  could  see,"  he  said,  "why  a  man  should  trouble  himself  about 
such  a  dry  subject  as  genealogy.  It  is  all  well  enough  to  know  who  your  father 
and  grandfather  were,  bu*'  this  looking  up  all  your  relations  I  cannot  see  is  any 
good."  In  reply  I  only  called  his  attention  to  some  facts  about  the  Clevelands 
and  Hydes,  with  the  result  that  he  pursued  the  subject  through  one    book    after 


GRACE  CHURCH,  DINOKF. 
Consecrated  1903 


The  End  369 

I  have  said  that  with  Bishop  De  Lancey's  death,  the  Diocese  "  lost 
that  perfect  confidence  and  unity  of  purpose  between  Bishop  and 
Priest  and  Layman  "  which  under  him  had  given  it  the  name  of  "  The 
Model  Diocese."  Why?  Not  entirely,  though  partly,  from  the 
difference  in  the  power  of  administration  and  leadership.  For  the 
same  thing  may  be  said,  I  fear,  of  nearly  every  diocese  in  the  land, — 
of  some  much  more  than  of  Western  New  York.  It  is  the  gradual  but 
steady  failure  in  that  spirit  of  loyalty  to  law,  which  was  in  Bishop  De 
Lancey's  day  a  distinguishing  characteristic  of  our  Church  as  com- 
pared with  other  religious  bodies.  What  has  become  of  it?  For 
certainly  it  is  little  in  evidence  now.  Each  Bishop  in  his  Diocese, 
each  Priest  in  his  parish,  seems  to  be  largely  a  law  to  himself,  in 
doctrine,  in  discipline,  in  ritual  ;  and  this  seems  to  be  true,  more  or 
less,  of  all  schools,  whether  they  call  themselves  Catholic  or  Evan- 
gelical, High  or  Low  or  Broad.  I  speak  of  this  obvious  fact  only  as 
it  affected  the  work  and  success  of  Bishop  Coxe's  Episcopate  as  a 
whole  ;  and  to  show  that  in  this  respect  it  cannot  be  judged  by  the 
standard  of  earlier,  and  in  that  respect,  as  it  seems  to  an  old  man, 
better  days. 

And  on  the  other  hand  I  have  said,  and  truly,  that  the  Diocese 
under  him  "  advanced  by  paths  and  to  heights  where  Bishop  De  Lan- 
cey,  the  man  of  ■3^ past  time,  could  never  have  led  it."  I  trust  that 
this  is  apparent  in  the  story  of  his  Episcopate  ;  but  in  some  respects 
I  have  certainly  failed  to  do  justice  to  his  leadership  in  diocesan 
work, — for  instance  in  the  "  Layman's  League  "  of  Buffalo,  which  I 
fear  I  have  not  even  mentioned,  but  which  has  done  for  a  number  of 
years  past  a  great  and  most  useful  work  in  missions  to  the  neighbour- 
ing towns  and  villages,  to  alms-houses  and  penitentiaries,  and  in 
many  other  ways.*  In  this  association  of  the  best  business  and  pro- 
fessional men  of  Buffalo  the  Bishop  took  great  interest,  often  meeting 
them  for  conference  and  instruction.  So  also  to  the  diocesan  branch 
of    the  Woman's    Auxiliary,   another  invaluable  work    unknown    to 


another  with  increasing  interest  ;  finally,  as  he  laid  down  the  last  book, 
he  said  to  my  astonishment,  "  Well, a  man  must  be  less  than  a  man  who  wouldn't 
interest  himself  in  such  a  study  as  this  !" 

♦The  Reports  of  the  President  and  Superintendent  (Drs.  Matthew  D.  Mann 
and  Henry  R.  Hopkins)  are  given  in  the  Journal  of  W.  N.  Y.  from  1892  on,  as 
are  for  several  years  those  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary. 


37° 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


Bishop  De  Lancey's  day,  but  now  recognized  all  over  the  country, 
Bishop  Coxa  gave  deep  interest  and  much  time  and  labour. 


I  add  only  as  matter  of  record  that  at  the  Second  Special  Council  of 
the  Diocese,  in  Trinity  Church,  Buffalo,  under  the  presidency  of  the 
Rev.  James  Rankine,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  on  Wednesday,  October;,  1896, 
theRightRev.  William  David  Walker,  D.D.,LL.D.,  D.C.L.,  Mis- 
sionary Bishop  of  North  Dakota,  was  chosen  as  Bishop  of  Western 
New  York  in  succession  to  Bishop  Coxe.  Bishop  Walker  was  en- 
throned in  S.  Paul's  Church,  Buffalo,  Dec.  23,  1896  ;  but  his  first 
official  duty  in  the  Diocese  was  at  S.  Peter's  Church,  Geneva,  at  the 
Burial  of  Dr.  Rankine,  who  entered  into  rest  Dec.  16,  1896.  The 
Bishop  had  however  become  known  to  many  of  the  Clergy  and  Laity 
through  services  often  and  freely  given  in  aid  of  Bishop  Coxe  during 
the  later  years  of  his  Episcopate. 


And  here  my  long  story  ends,  with  a  deep  consciousness  of  the 
many  things  it  has  left  untold,  and  the  most  imperfect  way  it  has  told 
other  things.  "  History  "  1  have  tried  to  tell  fairly  ;  my  "  Recollec- 
tions "  are  after  all  of  things  seen  from  my  own  point  of  view,  quite 
different  no  doubt  from  that  in  v^^hich  they  may  appear  to  many  others. 

"  If  I  have  done  well,  and  as  is  fitting  the  story,  it  is  that  which  I 
desired;  but  if  slenderly  and  jneafily,  it  is  that  which  I  could  attain 
unto.'^ 


WILLIAM    I)A\  II)   W  ALKKK 
Third   Hislioj)  of  Western    New  Nork 


NOTE 
THE  ancp:stry  and  early  life  of  bishop  coxe 

(The  following  note  has  been  kindly  given  me  by  the  Bishop's  son-in-law,  Pro- 
fessor Francis  Philip  Nash,  of  Hobart  College.) 

"  Bishop  Coxe  was  of  English  descent  both  on  the  father's  and  on  the  mother's 
side.  On  the  moth-r's  side  he  traced  his  origin  through  the  Clevelands.  whose 
progenitor,  Moses  Cleveland,  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1635,  and  to  the  Hydes, 
whose  ancestor  William  came  in  1633,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Hartford 
and  of  Norwich,  Conn.  The  1-ishop  was  thus  connected  with  the  Sewall,  Salis- 
b'lry,  Perkins,  Higginson,  and  many  other  prominent  families  in  New  England. 
On  the  father's  side  his  ancestors  were  the  Coxes  and  Hansons  of  Maryland 
and  Delaware. 

"  It  is  not  without  a  certain  interest  to  inquire  where,  in  the  ancestral  line,  ap- 
peared the  first  clerical  vocations.  The  first  clergyman  on  the  Cleveland  side 
appears  to  have  been  the  Rev.  Aaron,  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  1735,  ^^'^°  married 
Susannah  Porter,  a  granddaughter  of  Major  Stephen  Sewall.  His  character  and 
career  are  fully  set  forth  in  Sprague's  Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit,  V.  164.* 
After  serving  two  parishes  in  New  England,  he  emigrated  to  Halifax,  N.  S., 
where  a  change  in  hi-:  theological  views,  which,  for  some  time,  had  been  leaning 
towards  the  Church  of  England,  induced  him  to  go  to  England  to  take  Episcopal 
Orders.  He  died  August  11,  1757,  aet.  42,  a  clergyman  of  the  English  Church, t 
at  the  house  of  his  friend  Benjamin  Franklin  in  Philadelphia. 

"  On  the  Coxe  and  Hanson  side,  the  foimer  a  family  of  merchants,  and  the 
latter  we  ilthy  planters,  there  appeais  to  have  been  no  clergyman  prior  to  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Hanson  Coxe,  the  Bishop's  father.  He  was  a  famous  Presbyterian 
clergyman,  a  man  of  great  'earning,  versatility  and  eloquence,  and  long  the  de- 
light of  New  York  audiences.  He  founded  the  "  Laight  Street  Church,"  over 
which  he  continued  to  preside  until  his  pronounced  abolicionist  views,  with  which 
the  people  of  New  York  had  little  sympathy,  led  to  his  acceptance  of  the  presidency 
of  the  Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  and  his  removal  to  that  place. 

"Bishop  Coxe  was  bom  May  10,  1818,  at  Mendham,  New  Jersey,  where  his 
father  held  his  first  pastorate.  His  early  days,  however,  excepting  the  time  dur- 
ing which  he  was  at  school  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  were  spent  in  New  York  city, 
where  his  father  in  1S23  had  bought  from  the  Corporation  of  Trinity  Church  a 
piece  of  property,  part  of  the  Richmond  Hill  estate,  which  he  occupied  until  his 
removal  to  Auburn.  After  this  young  Coxe  lived  with  his  uncle,  Dr.  Abraham 
Liddon  Coxe,  an  eminent  physician  of  New  York,  and  it  was  there  that  from  his 
early  childhood  he  learned  to  love  the  Church  of  which  he  was  destined  to 
become  so  bright  an  ornament.  J  There  are  constant  references  in  his  diary  to 
his  attendance  at  the  servicesat  S.  Paul's  and  S.  John's  Chapels,  andS.  Thomas's 
Church,  which,  plain  as  it  was,  he,  with  most  people  of  that  day,  regarded  as  a 
model  of  Gothic  architecture." 

To  the  above  it  is  to  be  added  that,  graduating  in  1838  at  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  and  in  1841  at  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  he  was 

•  By  Professor  Charlrs  D.  Cleveland.  And  rruch  more  fully  by  Dr.  Benjamin  Rand  of  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  in  N.  E.  Hist,  and  Geneal.  Register,  XLII.  73. 

t  And  ^lissionaly  oi  &e  Society  for  ilie  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  at  Newcastle,  Del. 

t  He  savs  in  a  letter  to  Prof.  Austin  Phelps  in  ihSs, "  from  tender  years  1  was  in  htart  an  adherent 
of  the  Fold  to  which  I  belong." 


372 


Diocese  of  Western  New   York 


ordained  Deacon  by  Bishop  Benjamin  T.  Onderdonk,  in  S.  Paul's  Chapel,  New 
York,  June  27,  1841,  and  Priest,  by  Bishop  Brownell,  in  S.  John's,  Hartford, 
Conn.,  Sept.  25,  1842.  He  was  Rector  of  S.  Ann's,  Morrisania,  N.  Y.,  1841-2  ; 
S.  John's,  Hartford,  1842-54;  Grace,  Baltimore,  1854-63;  and  Calvary,  New 
York,  1863-5.  I"  1856  he  declined  the  Bishopric  of  Texas.  He  received  the 
degree  of  S.  T.  D.  in  1856  from  S.  James's  College,  Hagerstown,  Md.,  in  1868 
from  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  and  in  1888  from  the  University  of  Durham, 
England;  LL.D.  in  1868  from  Kenyon  College,  Gambier.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Historical  Societies  of  Buffalo  and  New  York,  of  the  New  York  Acad- 
emy of  Design,  and  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi.  A  list  of  his  numerous  works, 
for  which  I  regret  I  have  not  space  here,  occupies  several  pages  of  the  Journal 
of  the  Second  Special  Council  of  Western  New  York,  1896,  where  it  is  taken 
mostly  from  Dr.  Batterson's  American  Episcopate. 

Bishop  Coxe  married  Sept.  21,  1841,  Katharine  Cleveland  Hyde,  of  the  same 
New  England  families  of  Hyde  and  Cleveland  from  which  he  was  descended. 
She  died  at  Barnstable,  Mass.,  Feb.  16,  1898,  and  her  remains  rest  with  his  near 
the  altar  of  Trinity  Church,  Geneva.* 


*  This  note  is  mostly  from  the  notice  in  Journ.  W.  N.  Y.,  Special  Council  of  18 


EARLY  CLERGY 

OF  WESTERN  NEW  YORK,   A.   I).    1787  to   1838 


BISHOPS. 


Samuel  Provoost,  D.D.,  consecrated  1787;  died  1815. 
Benjamin  Moore,   D.D.,  consecrated  1801  ;  died  1816. 
John  Henry  Hobart,  D.D.,  consecrated  1811;  died  1830. 
Benjamin    Tredwell   Onderdonk,    D.D.,    consecrated   1830;     resigned 
\V.  N.  Y.,  1839. 


PRIESTS  AND  DEACONS. 


1797 

Robert  Griffith  Wetmore. 

1798 

Philander  Chase  (D.D.>, 

(Bishop  of  Ohio  and  Illinois.) 

I  See 
Ammi  Rogers. 
John  Urquhart. 

1801 
Thomas  Hughes. 
Davenport  Phelps. 

1802 
Daniel  Nash. 

1S04 
Jonathan  Judd. 
Gamaliel  Thatcher. 

i8c6 
Amos  Glover  Baldwin. 

iSii 
\Vm.  Atwater  Clark  (D.D.). 
Orin  Clark  (D.D.). 

1813 
^Villiam  B.  I^cey   (D.D.). 

1814 
Daniel  M'Donald  (D.D.). 
Alanson  W.  Welton. 


1815 
Ezekiel  G.  Gear. 
1816 

Henry  Ustick  Onderdonk  (D.D.), 

(Bishop  of  Pennsylvania.) 
Joshua  Moore  Rogers. 
Samuel  Johnston. 

1817 
William  PI.  Northrop. 
George  Hadley  Norton. 
Nathaniel  Huse. 
Asahel  Davis. 

1818 
Leverett  Bush  (D.D.). 
Amos  Pardee. 
Lucius  Smith. 

1820 
Deodatus  Babcock  (D.D.). 
William  Barlow. 
Francis  H.  Cuming  (D.D. ). 
Henry  Moore  Shaw. 
Marcus  Aurelius  Perry. 

i8ii 
Milton  Wilcox. 
Henry  Anthon  (D.D.). 
Russel  Wheeler. 


374 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


1822 

Levi  Silliman  Ives'D.D.,LL.D.), 

(Bishop  of  North  Carolina.) 
Palmer  Dyer. 
William  S.  Irving. 
Thomas  K.  Peck. 
Algernon  Sidney  Hollister. 
Samuel  Phinney. 
James  P.  F.  Clarke. 

1823 
Seth  W.  Beardsley. 
David  Brown. 
Rufus  Murray. 
Caleb  Hopkins. 

1824 
William  Josephus  Bulkley. 
Richard  Salmon. 
Orsamus  Holmes  Smith. 
Augustus  L.  Converse. 
Burton  Hammond  Hickcox. 
Samuel  Sitgreaves,  Jr. 

1825 
Addison  Searle. 
Amos  Cotton  Treadway. 
William  Warner  Bostwick. 
John  Seeley  Stone  (D.D.). 
Joseph  B.  Youngs. 

1826 
William  Linn  Keese. 
John  M'Carty  (D.D.). 
John  Churchill  Rudd,  D.D. 
Eleazar  Williams. 
William  M.  Weber  (M.D.). 
John  Alonzo  Clark  (D.D.). 
Norman  H.  Adams. 

1827 
Edward  Andrews  (D.D.), 
Lewis  Pintard  Bayard  (  D.D.) . 
John  W.  Curtis. 
John  D.  Gilbert. 
George  L.  Hinton. 
Albert  Hoyt. 
Jasper  Adams  (D.D.j. 


1S28 
Moses  P.  Bennett. 
Sutherland  Douglass. 
Reuben  Hubbard. 
Richard  Sharpe  Mason  (D.D.). 
Ephraim  Punderson. 
John  Sellon. 
Ralph  Williston. 

1829 
Hiram  Adams. 
John  Wurts  Cloud. 
Solomon  Davis. 
William  Shelton  (D.D.). 
Benjamin  Dorr  (D.D.). 
Parker  Adams. 
Ravaud  Kearney. 

1830 
David  Huntington. 
James  Selkrig. 

Henry  John  Whitehouse, 

(D.D.,  LL.D.,  Bishop  of  Illinois.) 
John  Murray  Guion. 

1831 
Henry  Gregoiy  (D.D.). 
George  Bridgeman. 
Nathaniel  F.  Bruce  (M.D.). 
James  Dixon  Carder. 
Joseph  Titus  Clarke. 
Chauncey  Colton  (D.D.). 
Robert  Brown  Croes. 
Louis  Thibou,  Jr. 

1832 
Liberty  Alonzo  Barrows. 
Lucius  Carter. 
Seth  Davis. 
George  Fiske. 
Reuben  H.  Freeman. 
John  Hughes. 
Kendrick  Metcalf  (D.D.). 
George  S.  Porter. 
John  W.  Woodward. 

1833 
Thomas  Meachem. 
Ethan  Allen. 
Robert  Campbell. 


Clergy  List,   1787  to  1838 


375 


1833 
Thomas  Clark. 
Robert  Davies. 
John  Frederick  Ernst. 
Alexander  Fraser. 
William  Lucas. 
Jesse   Pound. 
William  Staunton  (  D.D.). 
Francis  Trema}ne. 
Solomon  Blakeslee. 
James  Aaron   Bolles  (D.D.). 

■834 
Orange  Clark  (D.D.). 
Edmund  Embury. 
Isaac  Garvin. 
Stephen  M'llugh. 
Timothy  Minor. 
Thomas  Morris. 
William  Putnam  Page. 
John  Palmer  Robinson. 
Richard  C.  Shimeall. 
Erastus  Spalding. 
James  O.  Stokes. 

1835 
Johnson  A.  Bray  ton. 
John  Grigg. 
Samuel  M'Bumey. 
Henry  Peck. 
SethS.  Rogers. 
Richard  Smith. 

1835 
James  Sunderland. 
William  Tatham. 
John  Visger  Van  Ingen  (D.D.). 
Marshall  Whiting. 
James  Keeler. 
Nathan  B.  Burgess. 


1836 
Alva  Bennett. 

Charles  Wm.  Bradley  'LL.D.). 
Benjamin  Hale    (D.D.). 
Charles  Jones. 
Beardsley  Northrup. 
Pierre  Alexis  Proal  (D.D.). 
Francis  T.  Todrig. 
Nathaniel  Watkins. 
Gershom  Palmer  Waldo. 

'837 
Charles  Gardner  Acly. 
William  -Mlanson. 
Henry  Smith  Attwater. 
John  Bayley. 
Samuel  Chalmers  Davis. 
George  Denison. 
George  B.  Engle. 

Cicero  Stephens  Hawks, 

(D.D.,  Bishop  ot  Missouri.) 
Pierre  Parris  Irving. 
Henry  Tullidge  (D.D.). 
Augustine  Palmer  Prevost. 
Clement  Moore  Butler  iD.D.). 
Ferdinand  Rogers  (D.D.). 
Foster  Thayer. 

1838 
Tapping  Reeve  Chipman. 
Samuel  Cooke  (D.D.). 
Ebene/er  Harrison  Cressey(D.D.). 
Wm.  E.  Eigenbrodt  (D.D.). 
John  Bernard  Gallagher. 
Humphrey  Ilollis. 
George  Ogle. 
Henry  Lemuel  Storrs. 
Bethel  Judd,  U.D. 
Thomas  J.  Ruger. 
Lloyd  Windsor  (D.D.). 
Gordon  Winslow. 


CLERGY   ADDED 

IN  THE  OLD  DIOCESE,   1838  to  1868 


BISHOPS. 


William  Heathcote  De  Lancey,    D.D.,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.,   consecrated 

1839;  died  1865. 
Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  consecrated  1865;  died  1896. 


PRIESTS  AND  DEACONS. 


1839 
Samuel  Oilman  Appleton. 
Washington  Van  Zandt. 
Albert  Clarke  Patterson. 
Eli  Wheeler. 
Stephen  C .   Millett. 
John  P.  Fenner. 
Thomas  Towell. 
Thaddeus  Minor  Leavenworth. 
William  Walton. 
David  Huntington. 
William  W.  Hickcox. 
Hobart  Williams. 

1840 
Phineas  L.  Whipple. 
William  Croswell  (D.D.). 
Isaac  Swart. 
Henry  Lockwood. 
Fortune  Charles  Brown. 

George  De  Nonnandie  Gillespie, 
(D.D.,  Bishop  of  Western  Michigan.) 
Stephen  Douglass. 
Benjamin  Washington  Stone. 
John  Noble. 
Josiah  Moody  Bartlett. 

1841 
Thomas  S.  Brittain. 


Edward  Bourns  (LL.D.). 
Charles  De  Kay  Cooper  (D.D.), 
Erastus  B.  Foote. 
Major  Anson  Nickerson. 
Andrew  Hull  (D.D.). 
Asa  Griswold. 
James  Sunderland. 
Levi  Hanaford  Corson. 
Alfred  Louderback  (D.D.). 
Samuel  Goodale. 
John  Fletcher  Fish. 
Charles  B.  Stout. 
Origen  Pinney  Holcomb. 
John  William  Clark. 

1842 
Philemon  Elmer  Coe. 
David  M.  Fackler. 
Edward  Ingersoll  (D.D.) . 
Stephen  Henry  Battin. 
Charles  Jarvis  Todd. 
Edward  Dolph  Kennicott. 
William  Sidney  Walker  (D.D.). 
James  Jay  Okill. 

1843 
Richard  F.  Bumham. 


Clergy  List,   1838  to  1868 


377 


1S43 
Edward  De  Zeng. 
George  Leeds  (  D.D.). 
Rufus  M.  White. 
John  Jacob  Robertson,  D.D. 

1844 
Montgomery  Schuyler  (D.D.). 
Thomas  Clap  Pitkin  (D.D.). 
Mason  Gallagher. 
Benjamin  Williams  Whicher. 
Charles  Henry  Flatt. 
John  Wayland(D.D.). 
Joseph  Ransom. 
Orrin  Miller. 
Edward  Embur)'. 
Thomas  Pickman  Tyler  (D.D.). 
Edward  Augustus  Renouf  (D.D.). 
Benjamin  Franklin  (D.D.). 
Pascal  Paoli  Pembroke  Kidder. 
Samuel  Hanson  Coxe  (D.D.). 
Henry  B.  Bartow. 

1845 
Joshua  T.  Eaton. 
Henry  Stanley. 
John  Nicholas  Norton  (D.D.). 
Charles  Edward  Phelps. 
Justin  Field. 
Charles  Seymour. 
George  Watson. 
Richard  F.  Cadle. 
William  Dexter  Wilson 

(D.D.,  LL.D.,  L.H.D.). 
David  Pise,  Jr.  (D.D.). 
Israel  Foote  (D.D.). 
John  Sidney  Davenport. 

1S46 
William  Johnstone  Bakewell. 
John  B.  Colhoun. 

William   Henry  Augustus  Bissell, 

(D.D.,  Bishop  of  Vermont.) 
John  Henry  Hobart  (D.D.). 
Vandevoort  Bruce. 
William  Agur  Matson   (D.D.). 
Levi  Warren  Norton. 
Timothy  Fales  Wardwell. 


Orlando  Frary  Starkey. 

Benjamin  Wright,  Jr. 

Samuel  H.  Norton. 

Walter  Ayrault  (D.D.). 

William  Hemans   Perry  Paddock. 

Albert  Patterson  Smith. 

1S47 
Milton  Ward. 
Phineas  Manning  Stryker. 
William  Henry  Hill. 
Almon  Gregory. 
Charles  Woodward. 
Daniel  Caldwell  Millett  (D.D.). 
Gardner  Mills  Skinner. 
William  Baker. 
Oliver  H.  Staples. 
David  Dubois  Flower. 
George  Bridgeman. 
James  Radcliffe  Davenport(D.D.). 
Charles  Arey  (D.D.). 
Thomas  Newcome  Benedict. 

184S 

Plenry  Washington  Lee  (D.D.), 

(Hishop  of   Iowa.) 
Breed  Batchelder. 
Henry  Budd  Walbridge  (D.D.). 
John  L.  Gay. 

Abram  Newkirk  Littlejohn, 
(D.D.,  LL.D  ,  Bishop  of  Long  Is  land.) 
Spencer  Marcus  Rice  ^D.D.). 
George  Champlin  Foote. 
Henry  Lorenzo  Low. 
Sylvanus  Reed. 
Rufus  Doane  Steams. 
George  Burder  Eastman. 
David  Hazzard  Macurdy. 
Maunsell  Van  Rens=elaer 
(D.D.,  LL.D.). 
Edward  Meyer. 
William  Bliss  Ashley  (D.D.). 
Moses  Eaton  Wilson. 
Loren  Wood  Russ. 
Theodore  Marsh   Bishop  (D.D.). 

1849 
Charles  Huntington  Gardiner. 
Alfred  Baury  Beach  (D.D.). 


378 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


I 


1849 
Noble  Palmer. 

Oran  Reed  Howard  (D.D.). 
Edmund  Roberts. 
Caleb  Bailey  Ellsworth. 
George  Hamilton  M'Knight(D.D.) 
Malcolm  Douglass  (D.D.). 
William  Allen  Fiske  (LL.D.). 

Henry  Benjamin  Whipple, 

(D.D.,  LL.D.,  Bishop  of  Minnesota.) 
Wentworth  Larkin  Childs. 
Elijah  Weaver  Hager  (D.D.). 
Richard  Whittingham. 

1850 
Andrew  D.  Benedict. 
Thomas  Mallaby. 
Robert  James  Parvin. 
George  L.  Foote. 
Samuel  King  Miller. 
Amos  Billings  Beach  (D.D.). 
Willis  Hervey  Harris  (D.D.). 
Francis  John  Roach  Lightboume. 
William  Atwill. 
Joshua  L.  Harrison. 
Richard  S.  Adams. 
John  B.  Pradt. 
Martin  Moody. 
Ephraim  Punderson. 
Joshua  Smith. 

George  Morgan  Hills  (D.D.). 
Edward  Livermore. 
Anthony  Schuyler  (D.D.). 

1851 
George  White  Home. 
Richard  Radley. 
James  Watson  Bradin. 
Stephen  Chipman  Thrall  (D.D.). 
Julius  Sylvester  Townsend. 
Osgood  Eaton  Henick  (U.D.). 
DeWitt  Clinton  Loop. 
Daniel  Frederick  Warren  (D.D.). 
Lawrence  Sterne  Stevens. 
Albert  Wood. 
Rolla  Oscar  Page. 
John  Adams  Jerome. 


1852 

William  B.  Musgrave. 
Edward  Bostwick  Tuttle. 
Carlton  Peters  Maples. 
Robert  Nathan  Parke  (D.D.). 
Joseph  Morison  Clarke  (D.D.). 

William  Paret  (D.D.,  LL.D.), 

(Bishop  of  Mao'land.) 
Charles  Wells  Hayes  (D.D.). 
James  Andrew  Robinson. 
George  Nathan  Cheney. 
James  Abercrombie  (D.D.). 
Gurdon  Huntington. 
Henry  Cook  Stowell. 
Peter  S.  Ruth. 

Henry  Adams  Neely  (D.D.), 

(Bishop  of  Maine.) 
Napoleon   Barrows  (D.D.). 
John  Leech. 

1853 

Addison  B.  Atkins. 
Gordon  Moses  Bradley. 
Charles  Haskell. 
Daniel  Murphy. 
Josiah  Mulford  Hedges. 
George  William  Watson  (D.D.). 
John  Woodbridge  Birchmore. 
William  M.  Carmichael  (D.D.). 
George  Thomas  Rider. 
William  Thomas  Gibson 
(D.D.,  LL.D.). 
John  Gott  Webster. 
William  White  Bours. 

1854 

John  Jacob  Brandegee  (D.D.). 
Thomas  Levering  Franklin  (D.D.). 
Robert  Horwood. 
Andrew  Oliver  (D.D.). 
Thomas  Applegate. 
John  Edmund  Battin. 
James  Rankine  (D.D.,  LL.D.). 
William  Bostwick  Edson   (D.D.). 
Charles  Whitefield  Homer  (D.D.). 


Clergy  List,    1838  to   1868 


379 


185s 
Samuel  Lewis  Southard. 
John  Marshall  Guion  (D.D.). 
Reuben  James  Germain. 
Henry  Vibber  Gardner. 
James  Smith  liush. 
Benjamin  Watson  (D.D.). 
Daniel  E.  Loveridge. 
William  Long. 
Edward  Zechariah  Lewis. 
Edward  Moyses. 
Charles  E.  Beardsley. 
Aaron  Van  Nostrand. 
Horatio  Gray. 

1856 
Milton  Brewster  Benton. 
John  Henry  Rowling. 
Hermon  Gaylord  Wood. 
Edward  Hurtt  Jewett 

(D.D.,  LL.D.). 
William  White  Montgomery. 
Caleb  Sprague  Henry,  D.D. 

(LL.D.) 
Thomas  Goldsborough  Meachem. 
William  B.  Otis. 
Stephen  Green  Hayward 
George  Clinton  Van  Kleeten 

Eastman. 
Thomas  B.  Fairchild. 
Moses  E.  Wilson. 

1857 
Edward  Pidsley. 
Cuthbert  Collingwood  Barclay. 
Robert  W.  Oliver  (D.D.). 
Addis  Emmet  Bishop. 
Peyton  Gallagher. 
Louis  Le  Grand  Noble. 
William  Allen  Johnson. 
William  Osman  Gorham. 
Aaron  Reid  Van  Antwerp. 
Jacob  Shaw  Shipman 

(D.D.,  D.C.L.). 

David  Eglinton  Barr. 
Theodore  Babcock  (D.D.). 

Edward  Randolph  Welles  (D.D. ), 

(Bishop  of  Milwaukee.) 
Jedediah  Winslow. 


1858. 
Edward  Kennedy. 
James  W.  Capen. 
Abner  Jackson  (D.D.,  LL.D.). 
Francis  Granger. 
William  Henry  Brooks  (D.D.). 
Joshua  Law  Burrows  (Ph.D.). 
James  Copeland  Lea  Jones. 
Gemont  Graves. 
William  James  Alger. 
Charles  Edward  Cheney  (D.D.). 
Thomas  Dunn  Sleeper. 
William  Roberts. 

1859 
Lorenzo  David  Ferguson. 
John  A.  Bowman. 
Luther  Gregory. 
William  Oscar  Jarvis. 
William  Henry  Lord. 
Frederick  P.  Winne. 
Alfred  B.  Goodrich  (D.D.). 
John  Long. 
Robert  Dobyns. 
Robert  Bethell  Claxton,  D.D. 

iSbo 
Levi  Ward  Smith. 
William  Thomas  Early. 
Sidney  Wilbur. 
Ammi  Merchant  Lewis. 
George  Ward  Dunbar. 
William  Meredith  Ogden. 
Lucius  Sweetland. 
Joseph  Kidder. 
Orlando  Witherspoon. 
Chester  Smith  Percival   (Ph.D.). 
John  Blair  Linn. 
John  Turner  Gushing. 
Joseph  S.  Saunders. 
Voltaire  Spalding. 
H.  C.  Eyre  Costelle. 
Russel  Todd. 
Henry  Holmes  Loring. 

1861 
John  D.  McCollough,  D.D. 
George  Webb  Southwell. 


38o 


Diocese  of   Western  New  York 


1861 
William  Henry  Van  Antwerp 

(D.D.). 
William  Henry  Moffett. 
Milton  C.  Lightner. 
John  Martin  Henderson. 
Albert  Crittenden  Lewis. 
Dennis  Smith. 
Morelle  Fowler. 
Duncan  Cameron  Mann. 
Alexander  Hamilton  Rogers. 
Joseph  Wheeler  Pierson. 
Jonathan  H.  Haven. 
Peter  Brown  Morrison. 
Henry  E.  W.  Nye. 

1862 
Robert  Carter  Wall. 
John  Kerfoot  Lewis. 
Christopher  Starr  Leffingwell. 
Frederick  N.  Luson. 
Lewis  Graham  Weaver. 
William  Robert  Harris. 
Nathan  F.  Whiting,  (D.D.). 
Rodman  Lewis. 
William  Martin  Beauchamp 

(D.D.). 
Edwin  Coan. 
Henry  Martyn  Brown. 
Pierre  Teller  Babbitt  (D.D.). 

1863 

Fayette  Royce  (D.D.). 
F.  Southard  Compton  (D.D.). 
George  D.  Johnson  (D.D.). 
Leonard  Ravella  Humphrey. 
Francis  Fenelon  Rice. 
A.  Herbert  Gesner. 
William  Norman  Irish. 
Michael  Scofield. 
Lewis  Loren  Rogers. 
Elliott  Dunham  Tomkins. 
Moses  Lawrence  Kern. 
George  Storm  Teller. 
David  F.   M'Donald,    D.D, 
John  Brainard  (D.D.). 


George  Caspar  Pennell. 

Hugh  Lorington  Morison  Clarke. 

George  Leonard  Chase  (D.D.). 

Warren  Watson  Walsh. 

Robert  Murray  Duff  (D.D.). 

Francis  Thayer  Russell  (D.D,). 

Henry  Darby. 

Edwin  Martin  Van  Deusen,  D.D. 

Charles  Thompson  Kellogg. 

Henry  Rogers  Pyne. 

Frederick  M.  Gray. 

1865 
Lyman  Hinsdale  Sherwood. 
Jacob  Miller. 
George  Gustavus  Perrine, 
John  Francis  Potter  (M.D.). 
Francis  Solomon  Dunham  (Ph.D.). 
William    Heathcote    De    Lancey 

Grannis. 
George  Dana  Boardman   Miller. 
Charles  G.  Gilliat  (Ph.D.). 
James  Roger  Coe. 
Pelham  Williams  (D.D.). 
Charles  Carroll  Edmunds. 
Joseph  Hunter. 
Julius  Henry  Waterbury 

1866 
William  Maurice  Salt. 
John  V.  Stryker. 
Albert  Danker,  Jr.  (Ph.D.). 
Samuel  Seymour  Lewis. 
Henry  Anstice  (D.D.). 
Joseph  B.  Robinson. 
Edward  DoUoway. 
Charles  Talcott  Ogden. 

Nelson  Somerville  Rulison  (D.D.)» 

(Bishop  of  Central  Pennsylvauia.) 
John  H.  C.  Bonte. 
Thomas  W.  Street. 
Samuel  Fermor  Jarvis. 
Augustine  William  Cornell. 

Legh  Richmond  Brewer  (D.D.), 

(Missionary  Bishop  of  M  )ntana.) 
Gustavus  William  Mayer. 
John  Henry  Hobart  De  Mille. 


Clergy  List,   1838  to  1868 


381 


1866 

Henry   Noble  Strong,  D.D. 

William  Wirt  Raymond. 

James  Stoddard. 

Louis   Bevier  Van   Dyck(D.D.). 

John  William  Payne. 

Erastus  I'helps  Smith. 

James  Dada  Stebbins  Pardee. 

1S67 
Hiram  Adams. 

Ephraim  Stuart  Wilson  (D.D.). 
M.  R.  St.  John  Dillon-Lee. 
Reginald  Heber  Barnes. 
William  Henry  Williams. 
Robert  Evans  Dennison. 
Russell  Asa  Olin  (D.D.). 
Francis  Gilliat  (D.D.). 
Robert  F'letcher. 
George  Fayette  Plummer. 


William  Stone  Haywnrd. 

Henry  Roswell  Lock  wood  (D.D.). 

David  Harmon  Lovejoy,  M.D. 

Samuel  V.  lierry. 

John  Anketell. 

John  Armitage  Staunton. 

Gilbert  B.  Hayden. 

Thomas  Croswell  Reed,  D.D. 

Wm.  Augustus  Hitchcock  (D.D.). 

1868 

J.  Frederick  Esch. 
William  James  Pigott. 
Charles  Metcalf  Nickerson  (D.D.). 
Frederick  Schwartz  Hyde. 
James  Kent  Stone  (D.D.). 

Charles   Franklin  Robertson, 

(D  D.,  LL.D.,  Bishop  of  Missouri.) 
James  Holwell  Kidder. 
Thomas  Drumm  (^M.D,). 


CLERGY  ADDED 

IN    THE  PRESENT  DIOCESE,   1868  to  1896 


PRIESTS    AND  DEACONS. 


1868 
William  Adriel  Ely. 
John  Bartlett  Wicks. 
Arthur  Hammond  Wamer. 
John  Wainwright  Ray. 
David  Archibald  Bonnar. 
Frederick  Walter  Raikes. 
Walton  Wesley  Battershall  (D.D.) 

1869 
Charles  Theodore  Seibt  (D.D.). 
Adolphus  FVederick  Rumpff. 
Charles  Henry  Wright  Stocking. 
Reynold  Marvin  Kiiby  (D.D.). 
Thomas  Bell. 

William  Stevens  Perry, 

(D.D.,  LL.D.,  Bishop  of  Iowa.) 
Joseph  Cross,  D.D.  (LL.D.). 
George  William  Knapp. 
William  Frederick  Lane. 
Charles  Lewis  Hutchins  (D.D.). 
Charles  De  Lancey  Allen. 
Myron  Alfred  Johnson  (D.D.). 
Luther  H.  Strycker. 

1870 
George  Herbert  Patterson. 
David  Flack. 

George  Stuart  Baker  (D.D.). 
Edwin  Ruthven  Bishop. 
Charles  Nelson  Allen. 
Milton  Brewster  Benton. 
Henry  Mason  Baum  (D.C.L.). 
Thomas  Green  Clemson. 
Sylvester  Daily  Boorom. 


George  Milnor  Stanley. 
Libertus  Van  Bokkelen,  D.D. 
John  Wallace  Von  Gantzhorne. 

1872 
Edmund  Burke. 
Charles  Stewart  Hale. 
James  Hogarth  Dennis. 
James  Davies. 
Charles  Douglas  Barber. 
Elihu  Turney  Sanford. 

1873 
John  Schultz  Seibold. 
Henry  Seely  Dennis. 
Charles  John  Machin. 
Eleutheros  Jay  Cooke. 
William  Catterson. 
Walter  North  (L.H.D.). 
Charles  Henry  Smith  (D.D.). 

Cameron  Mann  (D.D.), 

(Missionary  Bishop  of  North  Dakota.) 
Edward  Eustace  Chamberlain. 
James  Van  Voast. 
William  Gaillard  Mc Kinney. 
Charles  Buckingham  Champlin. 
Aubrey  Francis  Todrig. 
George  Friedrich  Siegmund, 

(D.D.) 
Henry  Alfred  Duboc. 

1874 
Wm.  Frederick  Morrison  (M.D.). 
J.  McBride  Sterrett  (D.D.). 
Gabriel  Alfred  Mueller. 
Peter  Macfarlane. 
William  Mortimer  Hughes(D.D.). 


Clergy  List,   1868  to   1896 


383 


1S75 

Steplien  Humphreys  Gurteen. 
Melancthon  Cleveland  Hyde. 
Joseph  Louis  Tucker  (D.I).)- 
John  James  .Xndrew. 
William  .Alexander  Coale. 
John  Andrew  Dooiis. 
Charles  Henry  Kellogg. 
Foster  Ely  (I).D.). 
Benjamin  T.  Hall. 

1S76 
John  James  Landers  (LL.D.). 
James  Hattrick  Lee. 
Joseph  Robert  Love  (M.D.). 
Robert  Graham  Hinsdale  (D.D.). 
Elijah  Hamlin   Edson. 
James  H.  Barnard. 
Robert  B.  Wolseley. 
Richard  Hogarth  Dennis. 

1877 
Henry  Welles  Nelson,  Jr.  (D.D. ). 
Charles  Friedrich   Kellner,  Ph.D. 
Joseph  Wayne. 
James  Byron  Murray,  D.D. 
E.  Spruille  Burford. 
William  D'Orville  Doty  (D.D.). 
John  Woodworth  Craig. 
Haynes  Lord  Everest. 

1878 
Charles  F.   A.  Bielby. 
Samuel  Richard  Fuller. 
William  Stowe. 
James  Sydney  Kent. 
Abraham  Joseph  Warner. 
James  Alexander  Brown. 
John  W.  H.  Weibel. 
William  Westover. 
James  Prentiss  Foster. 
Abner  Piatt  Brush. 
Thomas  Stephens. 
Isaac  Easteibrooks. 
Benjamin  Franklin  Miller. 

1S79 
Charles  Henry  Hibbard  (D.D.). 
Algernon  Sidney  Crapsey  (D.D. ). 


Rudolf  Wahl. 

Byron  Holley,  Jr. 

Joshua  Albert  Ma.ssey,  D.D. 

1S80 
Jeremiah  Cooper. 
Andrew  Sidney  Dealey. 
William  D.  U.  Shearman. 
Christopher  W.  KnaufT. 

1881 
Frank  Pierce  Harrington. 
Amos  Skeele  (D.D.). 
Jonathan  Elbridge  Goodhue. 
Enoch  Crosby  Cowan. 
David  Moir. 

Henry  Smith  Huntington. 
Hobart  Bingham  Whitney. 
John  Dudley  Ferguson. 

1SS2 
Francis  Eugene  Easterbrooks. 
John  Wesley  Brown,  D.D. 
Charles  Francis    Joseph    Wrigley 

(D.D.). 
William  Henry  I'latt, 
D.D.,  LL.D. 
George  Frederick  Rosenmiiller. 
Edward  William  Worthington. 

1883 
James  William  Ashton  (D.D.). 
Albert  Alonzo  Brockway. 
Joseph  H.  Young. 
Cyrus  Peck  Lee. 
Anson  J.  Brockway. 
Charles  T.  Coerr. 
Charles  Ar(hur  Bragdon  (D.D.). 
Rob  Roy  M'Gregor  Conveise 
(D.D.,  D.C.L.). 

1884 
George  Thomas  Le  Boutillier. 
Pierre  Gushing. 
James  William  Van  Ingen. 
Eliphalet  Nott  Potter, 

D.D.,  LL.D.  (D.C.L.). 
Edward  Phelan  Hart. 


384 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


Eugene  Jeffrey  Babcock. 
Henry  Faulkner  Darnell,  D.  D. 
Alexander  Mann  (D.D.). 
Leonard  Woods  Richardson 

(LL.D.). 
Charles  William  Camp. 
Hale  Townsend. 
William  B.  Bolmer. 
Thomas  Duck. 
John  Henry  Perkins. 

1886 
Charles  John  Clausen. 
Oliver  J.  Booth. 
Arthur  Sloan. 
Robert  Harris. 
George  Grey  Ballard. 
John  Huske. 

1887 
William  Henry  Capen. 
Francis  Lobdell,   D.D.   (LL.D.). 
Samuel  H.  S.  Gallaudet. 
Lewis  Peter  Clover,  D.D. 
John  Evans  Bold. 
Addison  Monroe  Sherman. 
Lansing  Swan  Humphrey. 
Melvin  Honeyman. 
Edward  Steuart-Jones. 

1888 
Charles  Alfred  Ricksecker. 
Walter  Coe  Roberts. 
Aaron  Baker  Clark. 
Henry  Whitehouse  Spalding, 

D.D. 
Thomas  Benjamin  Berry. 
Jesse  Brush. 

Louis  Cope  Washburn  (D.D.). 
James  Avery  Skinner. 
Edwin  Ruthven  Armstrong. 
Crozier  Graham  Adams,  D.D. 
J.  Gorton  Miller. 

1S89 
Thomas  Dennis. 
George  W.  Sinclair  Ayers. 
Wilberforce  Wells. 


Abraham  Beach  Carter,  D.D. 
Charles  Homer  Boynton,  Ph.D. 
Evan  Hartsell  Martin. 

Gershom  Mott  Williams    (D.D.), 

(Bishop  of  Marquette.) 
James  Alexander  M'Cleary. 
George  Washington  West. 
Albert  Augustus  Roberts. 
Curtiss  Carlos  Gove. 
Henry  Augustus  Adams. 
William  Francis  Shero. 

1890 
Edwin  Stoner  Hoffman  (D.D.). 
Benjamin  Smith  Sanderson. 
William  John   Wycliffe    Bedford- 
Jones. 
William  Gardam. 
Richard  Mitchell  Sherman,  Jr. 
Henry  Bridges  Jefferson. 
Warren  Calhoun  Hubbard. 
Arthur  John  Fidler. 
Thomas  Robert  Johnston. 
Richard  Thomas  Kerfoot. 
John  Evans. 

1891 
James  Curtis  Camahan. 
John  M' Kinney. 
Walter  Biddle  Lowry. 
Henry  Ernest  S.  Somerville. 
Charles  Henry  Duncan. 
Richard  R.  Upjohn. 
John  Ravenscroft  Harding. 

1892 
William  Naylor  Webbe. 
John  Baptist  Blanchet  (D.D.). 
George  Sherman  Burrows. 
Arthur  Hallett  Mellen. 
Jacob  Asbury  Regester  (D.D.). 
Nassau  Somerville  Stephens. 

1893 
Thomas  Fisher  Marsden. 
Thomas  Elliot  Calvert. 
Frederick  William  Beecher. 
Charles  Edward  Spalding. 
Henry  Stevens  Gatley. 
Dwight  Galloupe. 


Clergy  List,   1868  to  1896 


38s 


1893 

Tullius  Wilson  Atwood. 
Francis  Allen  Gould. 
William  Frederick  Faber. 
John  Henry  Simons. 
Frederick  Kendall  Howard. 
Thomas  Alexander  Pamell, 

D.C.L. 

Henry  Rollings. 

1894 
Robert  Gilbert  Osbom. 
John  Saul  Wilson. 
Edmund  Cooke  Bennett. 
George  Heibert  Gaviller, 
Frank  Miller  Baum. 
George  Alexander  Harvey. 
James  Roy,  LL.D. 
Alfred  Brittain. 
Reginald  Victor  Bury. 
William  Herbert  Hawken. 
Solon  Aurelius  Whitcomb. 
John  Howard  Perkins. 


Arthur  Davies. 

John  Hector  Caughn. 

Charles  Newton  Morris. 

1895 
Henry  Martyn  Kirkby. 
John  Montgomer)'  Rich. 
Herbert  I.uther  Wood. 
William  Lucien  Reaney. 
Alexander  William  Bostwick. 
Nathan  William  Stanton. 
Frank  Norwood  Bouck. 
Harvey  Sheafe  Fisher. 
John  Stockton  Littell. 
Charles  Marcus  Kimball. 

1896 
Walter  Anderson  Stirling. 
Charles  Thomas  Walkley. 
Frank  Evans  Badger. 
George  Robert  Brush. 
Francis  Samuel  White. 
Cuthbert  Ogilvie  Sharp  Kearton. 


INDEX  OF  CLERGYMEN 


Adams,  Henry  A.,  353. 
Adams,  Jasper,  68,  188. 
Adams,  Norman  H.,  65. 
Adams,  William,  149,  283. 
Alberigh-Mackay,  Dr.  357. 
Alger,  William  J.,  227,  267. 
Allanson,  William,  119. 
Andrewes,  Bp.  Lancelot,  366. 
Andrews,  Edward,  77. 
Andrews,  William,  6,  8,  40. 
Anstice,  Henry,  47,  345,  354. 
Anthon,  Henry,  159,  175. 
Arey,  Charles,  212. 
Ashley,  W^illiam  B.,  134,  210-19. 
Ashton,  James  W.,  355. 
Attwater,  Henry  S.,  119,  152. 
Ayers,  George  W.  S.,  356. 
Ayrault,   Walter,    196,   212,   251,   268-9, 
276,  280-4-7,  301,  335. 

Babcock,  Deodatus,  221,  240. 

Babcock,  Eugene  J.,  355. 

Babcock,  Theodore,  240,  268-9,  271-8-9, 

286-7,  344- 
Baker,  George  S.,  305. 
Baldwin,   Amos  G.,  30-1-2-8-9,  168. 
Ballard,  George  G.,  354. 
Barber,  Virgil  H.,  39. 
Barclay,  Henry,  8. 
Barclay,  Thomas,  5,  9. 
Barrows,  Liberty  A.,  104,  119. 
Barrows,  Napoleon,    194,    215,  234,  276. 
Barrows,  William  S.,  334. 
Bayard,  Lewis  P.,  97. 
Bayley,  John,  119. 
Beach,  Abraham,  16,  39. 
Beach,  Alfred  B.,  214. 
Beach,  Amos  B.,   184,  214,   226,  243-8, 

251-5,  271-9. 
Beach,  Stephen,  214. 
Beardsley,  Seth  W.,  119. 


Beauchamp,  William  M.,  344. 
Bedell,  Gregory  T.,  121. 
Bedford-Jones,  William  J.  W.,  350. 
Berrian,  William,  20,  42,  125,  159. 
Berry,  Thomas  B.,  350-3. 
Bethune,  Bp.  Alexander  N.,  227. 
Bishop,  Theodore  M.,  194,  213,  343,  355. 
Bissell,  Bp.  William  H.A.,  201,211,243, 

250-1,  301-10. 
Bissett,  John,  16. 
Bolles,   James   A.,  96,  99,  100,  119,  121, 

122,     134,   153,  211,   247,   251,   301, 

341- 
Bonnar,  David  A.,  309. 
Bostwick,  William  W.,  77,  119. 
Bourns,  Edward,  143,  168,  190-3. 
Bours,  William  W.,  217. 
Bowden,  John,  39. 
Bowman,  Bp.  Samuel,  227. 
Boynton,  Charles  H.,  355. 
Bragdon,  Charles  A.,  352. 
Brainard,  John,  124,  135,  240,  344. 
Brand,  William  F.,  loi. 
Brandegee,  John  J.,  219,  239,  244. 
Brayton,  Johnson  A.,  119. 
Breck,  James  L.,  149. 
Brooks,  Bp.  Phillips,  350. 
Brown,  David,  65,  88. 
Brown,  Fortune  C,  309,  346. 
Brown,  Henry  M.,  279,  313. 
Brown,  John  W.,  353. 
Brown,  Thomas,  10. 
Browne,  Bp.  Harold,  90. 
Brownell,  Bp.  Thomas  C,  246-7. 
Bruce,  Nathaniel  F.,  85. 
Brush,  Jesse,  354. 
Bull,  Bp.  George,  327. 
Burford,  Spruille,  355. 
Burgess,  Bp.  George,  32. 
Burgess,  Nathan  B.,    119,  139. 
Burgon,  John  W.,  346. 


Index  of  Clergymen 


387 


Burhans,  Daniel,  20. 
Bush,  Leverett,  52,  53. 
Butler,  Clement  M.,  119. 

Cadlf.,  Richard  F.,  68,  98. 

Cammerhof,  15p.  John  F.,  13. 

Carey,  Arthur,  159,  160,  174. 

Cairoll,  Bp.  John,  360. 

Carter,  Lucius,  119. 

Chase,  George  L.,  241. 

Chdse,  Bp.  Philander,  17-8,20-3-6-7,  37. 

Cheney,  Charles  E.,  23t  --?• 

Cheney,  George  N.,  23- 

Cheverus,  Bp.  Jean  L.  A.  M.  L.  de,  360. 

Chipman,  Tapping  R.,  23i  '83,  252. 

Claggett,  Bp.  Thomas  J.,  362. 

Clark,  John  A.,  37. 

Clark,  John  W.,  168. 

Clark,  Orange,  104,  119. 

Clark,  Orin,  36,  37,  42,  55,  58,  148. 

Clark,  Thomas,  90. 

Clark,  Bp.  Thomas  M.,  143,  155. 

Clark,  William  A.,  32,  36,  38,  47,  52. 

Clarke,  Hugh  L.  M.,  240. 

Clarke,  Joseph  M.,  193-4,  216-67-76-S7. 

Clarke,  Joseph  T.,  119. 

Clarkson,  Bp.  Robert  H.,  324. 

Clausen,  Charles  J.,  355. 

Claxton,  R  bert  B.,  43-8. 

Coale,  William  A.,  355. 

Coe,  James  R.,  310-13. 

Coe,  Reginald  H.,  331. 

Coleman,  Bp.  Leighton,  55. 

Converse,  R.  R.,  335,  355. 

Cooke,  Samuel,  119,  143,  211. 

Cooper,  Charles  D.,  178,  183. 

Coxe,  Robert  G.,  168. 

Coxe,  S.  Hanson, 21 1-27-44-S-51-71-8- 

86. 
Crapsey,   Algernon  S.,  3 10-49-5 1-4. 
Creighton,  Wil  iam,  168. 
Cressey,  Ebenezer  H.,  119,  147,  221. 
Croes,  Bp.  John,  54. 
Croswell,  William,  168. 
Cuming,  Francis  H.,  47,  63,  143. 
Cushing,  Pierre,  355. 


Dai-LIun,  La  Rochk,  2. 

Darby,  Henry,  249. 

Darnell,  Henry  F.,  355. 

Davis,  Solomon,  67,  71,  74,  75,  78. 

Dealey,  A.  Sidney,  355. 

Dehon,  Bp.  Theodore,  147,  186. 

Denison,  George,  119. 

Dennis,  James  H.,  354. 

Dennis,  Thomas,  306,  347. 

Dix,  Morgan,  243-4. 

Doane,  Bp.  George  W.,  28,  30,  103,  126, 

175,  201. 
Doane,  Bp.  Wm.  Croswell,  28,  366. 
Dorr,  Benjamin,  103. 
Doty,  Wm.  D'Orville,  354. 
Douglass,  Malcolm,  115,  213. 
Dudley,  Bp.  Thomas  U.,  366. 
Duff,  Robert  M.,  146,  240-1,  344. 
Dunbar,  George  W.,  269. 
Dunham,  Francis  S.,  35b. 
Dyer,  Palmer,  65,  89. 

Ea.sthurn,  Bp.  Manton,  121,  155,  179. 
Edson,  Elijah  PL,  356. 
Edson,  William  B.,  336,  356. 
Eigenbrodt,  William  E.,  120. 
Embury,  Edmund,  104,  120. 

Faber,  William  F.,  355. 

Fletcher,  Francis,  1 . 

Foote,  Israel,  200,  211,  251,  271,  355. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  16S. 

Franklin,  Thomas  L.,  240,  313. 

Fuller,  Bp.  Thomas,  227. 

Gapsdkn,    Bp.    Christopher   E.,    54, 

'75- 
Gallagher,  John  B.,  120,  168. 

Gallagher,  Mason,  168. 

Gallagher,  Peyton,  168. 

Gear,  Ezekiel,  47,   53. 

Geddes,  J.  Gamble,  344. 

Geer,  George  J.,  324. 

Gibson,   William  T.,    194,   216-17,    227, 

238,  251,  267,  2S0-3-7. 

Gilbert,  John  D.,  77,  88. 

Gillespie,  Bp.  George  D.,  153,  154. 


388 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


Goodhue,  Jonathan  E.,  356. 

Goodrich,  Alfred  B.,  243-8,  267-8,  276, 

284-6. 
Granger,  Francis,  247. 
Gregoiy,  Henry,  91,  97,  132-50-95,  200- 

01-10-16-19-2 1-3-32-65. 
Griswold,    Bp.    Alexander  V.,    35,    126, 

127,  157,  186. 
Guion,  John  M.,  280. 

Haight,  Benjaj^in  I.,  65,  159,  301. 
Hale,  Benjamin,  109,  115,  116,  117,  120, 

122,  123,  144,  168-9,  189,  191-2-3- 

4,  201,  239,  335-6. 
Hariot,  Thomas,  i. 
Harrington,  Frank  P.,  329-31. 
Harris    Bp.  Samuel  S.,  346. 
Hart,  Edward  P.,  355. 
Hawks,    Bp.  Cicero  S.,    no,    120,    121, 

140,  15^  177. 
Hawks,  Francis  L.,  no. 
Hayes,    Charles    W.,    169,    184,    192-4, 

215,   227,   234,   242-3-^-5-5-9,  252, 

267,  276,  343,  345,  350,  364-5-8. 
Hayw^ard,  Willic;m  S.,  34,  65,   92. 
Henderson,  John  M.,  309,  340. 
Henry,  Caleb  S.,  176. 
Herbert,  George,  322. 
Herrick,  Osgood  E.,  194,  215,  276. 
Herzog,  Bp.  Edward,  327. 
Hickcox,  Burton  H.,  33. 
Hickcox,  William  W.,  23- 
Higbee,  Edward  Y.,  159. 
Hill,  Cornelius,  79. 
Hill,  John  H.,  261,  338-9. 
Hill,  William  H.,  212. 
Hills,  Geo.    Morgan,  '150,  214,  240,  271, 

283-6. 
Hills,  Horace,  168,  184. 
Hinsdale,  Robert  G.,  299,  335. 
Hitchcock,  William  A.,  334-42,  348,  353. 
Hobart,  Bp.  John  H.,  32,  34,  ^S^  36,  37- 

38,  39.  40,  41,  42,  43.  47.  48,  49.  51. 

52,  54.  55.  57.  59.60,67,  68,  69,  70, 

74.  75.76,  77.  78.  79.  So,  81,  82,  84, 

85,  90,   98,  121,  123,  124,    148,  158, 


159,    186-8,   191,   234,    249,    253-4, 
273.300-2,  336,  347. 
Hobart,    John    H.,    149,    211,    247-8-9, 

347.  364- 
Hoffman,  Edwin  S.,  355. 
Hollis,  Humphrey,  153. 
Hollister,  Algernon  S.,  91. 
Hooker,  Richard,  49,  254,  322. 
Hopkins,  Bp.  John  H.,  63,  143,  1 73-4-5. 

234,  247-8,  361-2. 
Hopkins,  John    H.,  173,  210,  234,  324. 
Hoi-wood,  Robert,  194,  217. 
Howard,  Oran  R.,  213,  354-5. 
Howe,  Bp.  M.  A.  De  W.,  324. 
Howland,  Robert  S.,  324. 
Hubbard,  Warren  C,  354. 
Hubbs,  John  B.,  301. 
Hughes,  William  M.,  335. 
Hull,  Andrew,  153,  211,  251. 
Hunt,  Robert,  2. 
Huntington,  David,  88. 
Huntington,  Bp.  Frederick  D.,  155,  286, 

290,  300-1-24. 
Huntington,  Henry  S.,  331,  354,  363. 

Ingersoll,  Edward,  153-77,  210,  248, 

251.  339.  353-4.  361. 
Irish,  William  N.,  240. 
Irving,  Pierre  P.,  120,  126,  154,  168,  211. 
Ives,  Bp.  L.  Silliman,  175. 

Jackson,  Abner,  234-8-9,  241-3-5-8, 

250-1,  271,  301,  336. 
Jai-vis,  Bp.  Abraham,  35,  37. 
Jarvis,  S.  Farmar,  54,  195. 
Jarvis,  William  O.,  240. 
Johnston,  Samuel,  46,  47. 
Judd,  Bethel,  120,  16S,  183. 
Judd,  Jonathan,  27,  28,  31,  32,  37. 

Kearton,  Cuthbert  O.  S.,  364. 
Keble,  John,  197-8. 
Kellogg,  Charles  H.,  313. 
Kemper,  Bp.  Jackson,  98,  175,  363. 
Kerfoot,  Bp.  John  B.,  261. 
Kidder,  Pascal  P.,  211,  309. 
Kirkland,  John  T.,  14. 


Index  ok  Clergymen 


3«9 


Kirkland,  Samuel,  i 
Kitchin,  (}.  W.,  90. 


3,  14,  40,  51. 


Lacky,  Wii.i.iam  B.,  38,  47. 

Landers,  John  J.,  356. 

I^ud,  Abp.,  167,  322. 

I.e  Caron,  Fr.,  2. 

Lee,  Cyrus  P.,  306. 

Lee,  Kp.  Henry  W.,  i7?-9,  183-5-6. 

Leeds,  tJeorge,  243-7,  286,  324. 

Leffingwell,  Christopher  S.,  240. 

Leonard,  Kp.  Abiel,  363. 

Leonard,  Bp.  William  A.,  366. 

Lewis,  Edward  Z.,  240. 

Little  John,  Bp.  Abram  N.,  243,  2S6. 

Livermore,  Edward,  214,  221. 

Lobdell,  Francis,  348,  350-T-2. 

Lockwood,  Henry,  153,  i68,  281,  341. 

Lockwood,  Henry  K.,  150,  341. 

Low,  Henry  L.,  190-3. 

Loyson,  Hyacinthe,  357-S. 

Lucas,  William,  120. 

Luson,  Frederick  N.,  247. 

Luther,  Martin,  167. 

Lyell,  Thomas,  80,  97. 

Ljman,  Bp.  Theodore  B.,  357. 

M'BuRNKV,  Samuel,  103. 

M'Carty,  John,  66,  103,  120,  122,  154. 

M'Coskrj',  Bp.  Samuel  A.,  196-7-8,  247 

-8,  255. 
M'Donald,  Daniel,  39,  54,  57. 
Machin,  Charles  J.,  305. 
M'Hugh,  Stephen,  120,  147,  154. 
M'llvaine,  Bp.  Charles  P.,  175. 
M'Knight,  George  H.,  344. 
Macurdy,  David  H.,  212-19,  220. 
M'Vickar,  John,  36,  39,  97,  159. 
Mahan,  Milo,  243,  324. 
Mann,  Duncan  C,  240,  274,  281,  310. 
Mark,  Martin,  13. 
Marriott,  Wharton  B.,362. 
Mason,  Richard  S.,  85,  188-9. 
Matson,    William   A.,   210-16,  227,  248, 

251,  260,  276. 
Meachem,  Thomas,  120. 


Meade,  Bp.  William,  173,  181. 
Metcalf,  Kendrick.91,  1:0,  122,  153,  194, 

201,  243-7,  251. 
Miller,  Benjamin  F.,  356. 
Miller,  John,  4. 
Miller,  Samuel  K.,  247. 
Millet,  Pcre,  3. 
Milne,  John,  8. 
Milnor,  9S,  112,    117. 
Montgomer)',  Henry  E.,  324. 
Montgomery',  William  W.,  240. 
Moor,  Thoroughgood,  4,  5. 
Moore,  Bp.  Benjamin,  16,21-2-3-5-7-9, 

30-1-2-^-5-9,  40-2,   158-S6. 
Moore,  Clement  C,  55. 
Moore,  Abp.  John.  326. 
Moore,  Bp.  Richard  C,  80. 
Morris,  Thomas,  103,  120. 
Morton,  Henry  J.,  243. 
Moscrop,  Henry,  84. 
Mosher,  Philip  W.,  355. 
Muhlenberg,  William  A.,  313. 
Munro,  Harry,  10,  128. 
Murray,  Rufus,  61,  77,  89,  120,  154. 

Nash,  Daniel,  20,  26,  33,  37,  47.  5--  ^6, 

loS,  109,  266. 
Neely,    Bp.    Henry  A.,    193-4.    214-16, 

229,  239,  247,  301-2,  335,  354,  366. 
Nelles,  Abraham,  12. 
Nelson,  Henry  W.,  310,  346. 
Newman,  John  H.,  143,  360. 
Nichols,  Samuel,  39. 
Nickerson,  Major  A.,  153. 
North,  Walter,  354. 
Northrup,  Beardsley,  153. 
Northrup,  William  H.,  66. 
Norton,  George  H.,  31-3,  47,  53,  66,  103, 

120-5. 
Norton,  George  H.,  Jr.,  23- 
Norton,  John  N.,  28,  31-3,  49. 
Norton,  Levi  W.,  212,  271,  306. 

Odenheimer,   Bp.    Wm.    H.,  247-8-9, 

255- 
Oel,  John  J.,  10. 


39° 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


Ogden,  Charles  T.,  137. 

Ogilvie,  John,  8,  9,  10,  40. 

Onderdonk,    Bp.  Benjamin  T.,  80-4-5-6 

-9,    90-1-6,    100-1-3-5-6-9-10-12, 

1 16-19,  120-2-5-6,  148,  159,  160-8, 

194-5-6-9,    247. 
Onderdonk,    Bp.   Henry  U.,  42-6-7,  72, 

82-4,  126,  173. 

Palmer,  Noble,  312.     " 

Pardee,  Amos,  53,  66. 

Paret,  Bp.  William,  136,  193-4,  215-16, 

221, 235,  241,  255,  276-9,  28C-1-5-7. 
Paris,  Abp.  of  (Richard),  357-8. 
Parke,  Robert  N.,  215,  255,  276. 
Parvin,  Robert  J.,  226. 
Patterson,  Albert  C,  154. 
Patterson,  Geo.  Herbert,  311-12. 
Payne,  William,  18. 
Peck,  Henry,  120. 
Pendleton,  J.  Philip  B.,  4. 
Pennell,  George  C.,  276,  309. 
Perry,  Marcus  A.,  153. 
Perry,  Bp.  William  S.,  55,  299,  301-5-10. 
Phelps,  Austin,  359. 
Phelps,  Davenport,  22-3-5-6-7-8-9,  3c- 

1-3-4-7-8,81,  148,  266. 
Pitkin,  Thomas  C.,  256. 
Piatt,  Charles  H.,   167-8,  177,  243,  251, 

275.  280. 
Potter,  Bp.  Alonzo,  60,  112. 
Potter,  Eliphalet  N.,  335,  348. 
Potter,  Bp.  Henry  C,  34S,  357. 
Potter,  Bp.  Horatio,  112,  241-4-7-8,  300- 
Prevost,   Augustine  P.,    120,   121,    122, 

126,  154. 
Price,  Joseph  H.,  159. 
Proal,  Pierre  A.,    119,    120,     126,     154, 

210-II. 

Provoost,  Bp.  Samuel,  16,  17,  20,  21,  23, 

35.  40,  158. 
Pusey,  Edward  B.,  338-9,  360. 

Rankine,  James,  220-1,  243-8,  250-1- 
2-7,  276,  286,  299,  301-10,  336,  342, 
343-5-7.  369- 


Read,  T.  Bolton,  344. 

Reed,  John,  58,  97. 

Regester,  Jacob  A.,  353. 

Reinkens,  Bp.,  358. 

Richard,  Abp.  F.  M.,  357-8. 

Ricksecker,  Charles  A.,  354. 

Roberts,  Walter  C,  355. 

Robinson,  James  A.,  194,  217,  269,  276. 

Rogers,  Alexander  H.,  240,  274. 

Rogers,  Ammi,  20. 

Rogers,  Ferdinand,  1 53-S4, 2  47-65-79-S4, 

Rogers,  Joshua  M.,  47,  53,  66. 

Rogers,  Seth  S.,  125. 

Rose,  Hugh  James,  59,  254. 

Rosenmiiller,  George  F.,  355. 

Rudd,  John  C,  23,    69,   79,  85,  95,  97, 

119-20-23-26-44-6S-S8,  210. 
Ruger,  Thomas  J.,   120. 
Rundt,  Gottfried,  13. 
Russell,  Francis  T.,  239,  250. 

Sagard,  Fr.,  2. 

Salmon,  Richard,  66,  89. 

Sanderson,  Benjamin  S.,  355. 

Satterlee,  Bp.  Henry  Y.,  364. 

Schroeder,  John  F.,  80. 

Schuyler,  Anthony,  215. 

Schuyler,  Montgomery,  168,  177,  184, 
210,  215,  251,  260.  2S6. 

Scofield,  Michael,  347. 

Seabury,  Bp.  Samuel,  36,  53,  254,  326, 
362. 

Seabury,  Samuel,  94,  159. 

Searle,  Addison,  61. 

Selkrig,  James,  78. 

Seymour,  Bp.  George  F.,  366. 

Seymour,  Richard,  2. 

Shelton,  Frederick  W.,  48. 

Shelton,  Philo,    123. 

Shelton,  William,  30,  61,  78,  97,  100, 
119,  120,  122,  123,  132,  153,  169, 
199,  200,  210,  229,  242-3-5-6-7, 
256,  265,  270-1-4-5-8,  301,  339. 

Shero,  William  F.,  331. 

Sherwood,  Lyman  H.,  217. 

Shields,  Charles  H.,  359. 


Index  of  Clergymen 


39 « 


Shipman,  Jacob  S.,  227. 

Skeele,  Amos,  355. 

Skinner,  (Gardner  M.,    122. 

Smith,  Albert  P.,  212. 

Smith,  Charles  H.,  309,  352-3. 

Smith,  Hugh,  159. 

Smith,  J.  Cotton,  324. 

Smith,  Joseph  T.,  363. 

Smith,  Lucius,  104,  120,  125,  153. 

Smith,  Orsamus  II.,  ^St  66. 

Smith,  Richard,  120. 

Smith,  William,  45. 

Southwell,  George  W.,  274,  310. 

Spalding,  Charles  N.,  92. 

Spalding,  Edward  B.,  92. 

Spalding,  Eraslus,  91,  92,  104,  120,  154. 

Spalding,  Erastus  W.,  92. 

Spalding,  Henry  W.,  92,  148,  356. 

Stafford,  Richard,  i. 

Stanley,  Henrj',  211. 

Staunton,  John  A.,  92. 

Staunton,  John  A.,  Jr.,  92. 

Staunton,  William,  91,  92,  100,  341. 

Stevens,  Lawrence  S.,  215. 

Stewart,  Bp.  Charles  J.,  69. 

Stone,  Benjamin  W.,  168,  183. 

Stone,  James  K.,  299. 

Storrs,  Henry  L.,  15,  120,  154. 

Storrs,  Leonard  K.,  15. 

Stout,  Charles  B.,  23^ 

Stowell,   Henry  C.  ,194. 

Stuart,  George  O..  12. 

Stuart,  John,  10.  11,  12. 

Swart,  Isaac,  26,  J  68. 

Swope,  Cornelius  E.,  263. 

Syle,  Edward  W.,  324. 

Talbot,  Bp.  Joseph  C,  247-8-9. 
Taylor,  Bp.  Jeremy,  322. 
Taylor,  Thomas  H.,  125. 
Teller,  George  S.,  310,  340. 
Thatcher,  Gamaliel,  27. 
Thayer,  Foster,  120. 
Thibou,  Louis,  120. 
Todd,  Russel,  145,  265-6. 
Townley,  Adam,  227. 


Townsend,  Julius  S.,  194,  215,  247. 
Treadway,  Amos  C,  60,  66,  67. 
Tucker,  J.  Ireland,  305. 
Tullidge,  Henry,  120. 
Turner,  Samuel  H.,  55. 
Tyler,  Thomas  P.,  211-12. 

Upkoi.d,  Georgk,  125. 
Urquhart,  John,  19,  20. 
Utrecht,  Abp.  of,  359. 

Van  Bokkelen,  Libertus,  304-13-31, 

35o->- 
Van  Deusen,  Edwin  M.,  243,  250-5,  279, 

286-7,  290. 
Van  Dyck,  Louis  B.,  293,  344,  354-6. 
Van  Ingen,   John  V.,  120-53-67-78-81- 

5-96-9,   221-51-72-9,  301-26-55. 
Van  Kleeck,  Robert  B.,  168. 
Van  Rensselaer,  Maunsell,  20 1 -1 3-1 9-29- 

48-51-2-79-99,   301-10  55. 
Van  Santen,  Fr.,  359. 
Vaughn,  Charles  J.,  198. 
Vermilye,  Thomas  E.,  325, 
Viel,  Fr.,  2. 

Vincent  of  Lerins,  S.,  358. 
Von  Hirscher,  John  Baptist,  322-3,  360. 

Wai.nwright,  Bp.  Jonathan  M.,  196-7. 
Walker,  Bp.  William  D.,  29!,  334,  366-9. 
Walker,  William  S.,  211,  247. 
Walsh,  Warren  W'.,  240-1,  350. 
Wardwell,  Timothy  F.,  212,  310. 
Washbum,  Louis  C,  352-5. 
Waierbury,  Julius  II.,  309. 
Watson,  Benjamin,  240. 
Watson,  John  L.,  155. 
Webster,  John  G.,  194,  216,  276,  303. 
W^elles,  Bp.  Edward  R.,  194,  20C-17. 
Welton,  Alanson  W.,  38,  42,  47,  53. 
Wetmore,  James,  18. 
Wetmore,  Robert  G.,  17,  18. 
Wheeler,  Eli,  154,  168. 
Wheeler,  Russell,  38,  47,  120. 
Wheelock,  Hleazar,  13,  23. 
Whipple,  Bp.  Henry  B.,   186,    194,  212, 
213-14. 


392 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


Whipple,  Phineas,  154. 

White,    Bp.  William,  35,  45,  55,  61,  84, 

1 23-73-9-81-6,   204-53-4-9,  326. 
Whitehead,  Bp.  Cortlandt,  366. 
Whitehouse,  Bp.  Henry  J.,  63,  79,   99, 

120,  121,  153,  178,  189. 
Whiting,  Marshall,  120. 
Whittingham,  Richard,  211. 
Whittingham,  Bp.  William  R.,  loi,  102, 

113,  117,  175,  181,  211,  247,  327. 
Wilberforce,  Bp.  Samuel,  196. 
Williams,  Eleazar,  40-7,  50-1-2-9,67-8. 
Williams,  Hobart,  154. 
Williams,  Bp.  John,  220,  247. 
Williams,  Pelham,  335. 
Williston,  Ralph,  77. 
Wilmer,  Bp.  Richard  H.,  359. 


Wilson,  William  D.,  184,  194,  201,  211- 

13-15-17.  274-6,  280,  336,  344-5- 
Windsor,  Lloyd,  120,  153,  211,  334,  344- 

7,  355- 
Winslow,  Gordon,  120. 
Winslow,  Jedediah,  240. 
Witherspoon,  Orlando,  240-7,  280,    306. 
Wolfall,  Mr.,  i. 
Wood,  Albert,  215. 
Wood,  H.  Gaylord,  194,  215. 
Woodward,  Charles,  90,  193. 
Woodward,  John  W.,  90. 
Wordsworth,  Bp.  C,  45. 
Wright,  Benjamin,  212. 
Wrigley,  Charles  F.  J.,  353, 

Zeisberger,  David,  13. 


INDEX   OF  LAY   NAMES 


Adams,  John,  49,  120,  142-3,  351. 

John  K.,  295. 

William,  19. 

William  II.,  120,  143. 

William  II.  (2),  351. 
Adsit,  Martin,  296. 
Allen,  Samuel,  164,  295. 
Allston,  Mrs.  Theodosia,  22. 
Andrews,  Samuel  G.,  296. 

Samuel  J.,  47. 
Arnold,  George,  296,  346. 
Atkins,  J.  C,  296. 
Atwater,  Moses,  17,  36. 
Ayrault,  Allen,  296. 

Babcock,  Timothy,  295. 
Bacon,  D.  K.,  296. 
Baker,  Robert  I.,  297. 
Baldwin,  Alpheus,  297. 

Ashbel  S.,  346. 
Barker,  George,  297. 

Jacob  A.,  297. 
Bates,  Henry  H.,  239. 
Beach,  Daniel  B.,  296. 
Benedict,  Joseph,  196,  206,  288. 
Bennett,  Walker,  52,  137. 

Walter,  153. 
BeiTill,  John  A.,  295. 
Bird,  William  A.,  297. 
Bissell,  G.  N.,  295. 

Herbert  P.,  330. 
Blakslee,  Eli,  17. 
Bloodgood,  Francis  A.,  32. 
Bly,  Enos,  18. 

Bogart,  Wil  iam  H.,  279,  296. 
Bostwick,  William,  29. 
Boughton,  George  H.,  297. 
Boyce,  Augustus  A.,  295. 
Brackett,  Andrew  J.,  296. 
Brant,  Joseph,  10,  22. 
Brewster,  Jarvis,  295. 


Bridge,  Misses,  221 
Bronson,  Amos,  32. 
Brooks,  Micah,  153. 
Brother,  Henry,  296. 
Brown,  Edward  A.,  268-9. 
Buck,  John  H.,  297,  334. 
Bull,  William  H.,  296. 
Burhans,  Daniel, -295. 
Burr,  Aaron,  23. 

Theodo.sia,  23. 
Burrall,  Thomas  D.,  28,  55,  120,  300. 
Burt,  Hachaliah,  29. 
Butler,  Morgan,  295. 
Butler,  Nathan,  32. 
Butterfield,  Martin,  296. 

Camp,  John  G.,  46. 
Campbell,  Henry  M.,  46. 
Carroll,  Charles  H.,  120-2,  296. 
Carj',  Truman,  296. 
Caverno,  Sullivan,  297. 
Chapin,  Israel,  22. 

Ralph,  296. 
Charles  I.,  322. 
Chedell,  John  H.,  296. 
Chew,  Alexander  L.,  296,  364. 
Chipman,  Samuel,  23- 
Church,  Mrs.  Angelica,  217. 

Elizabeth,  217. 

Philip,  297. 

Sanford  E.,  297. 
Clark,  Mrs.  Chloe,  36. 

D.  Ward,  164,  295. 

John,  36. 

Joshua  V.  H.,  3,  26-7,  295. 

Zephaniah,  297. 
Clarke,  Ethan,  295. 

George  R.,  301. 

John  R.,  301. 
Cleveland,  Charles  D.,  371. 

Moses,  371. 


394 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


Clinton,  De  Witt,  51. 
Coe,  Reginald  H.,  331. 
Coleman,  Truman,  297. 
Collier,  John  A.,  280. 
Collins,  John,  28-g. 
Colt,  Samuel,  28,  55. 
Comstock,  George  F.,  271-84-95. 
Cook,  Cliarles,  296. 

Constant,  296. 

William,  295. 
Cooper,  J.  Fenimore,  108,  128, 

Paul  Fenimore,  128. 

Mrs.  Susan  A.,  128. 

Susan  A.,  108,  128. 
Cornell,  Samuel  G.,  297. 
Coventry,  Charles  B.,  288. 
Coxe,  Abraham  L.,  372. 

Mrs.  Katharine  C,  368,  372. 
Cunningham,  James,  295. 
Curzon,  Robert,  322. 
Cuyler,  George  W.,  296. 

Daboll,  Henry,  295. 
Dauby,  Augustine  G.,  295. 
Davis,  Josiah,  296. 
Daw,  Henry,  297. 
Day,  Rowland,  269. 
Dayton,  Harriet,  355. 
Nathan,  297,  355. 
De    Angelis,   Pascal    C.  J.,    120-53-64, 

295- 

William  W.,  164,  295. 
De  Lancey,  Mrs.  Ann,  128. 
Mrs.  Anne,  12S. 
Anne  C,  128. 
Edward  F.,  128. 
Elizabeth  C,  129. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth,  128. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Des  B.,  129. 
Elizabeth  F.,  129. 
Etienne,  128. 

Mrs.  Frances,  128-32-96-8,  228-52. 
Frances,  129. 
Guy,  128. 
Jacques,  128. 
James,  128. 


John  P.,  128. 

John  P.  (2),  129. 

Mrs.  Josephine  M.,  128. 

Mrs.  Margaret,  128. 

Margaret  M.,  129. 

Maria  F.,  128. 

Martha  A.,  '129. 

Peter  M.,  129. 

Susan  A.,  128. 

Thomas  J.,  128. 

Mrs.  Wilhelmina  V.,  129. 

William  H.,  129. 

William  H.  (2),  129. 
De  Lavail  and   Nouvian,   Vicomte,  12J 
Demarest,  Mrs.  Agnes,  336. 
Denio,  Hiram,    271-9-S6. 
Denton,  Seymour  F.,  296. 
De  Veaux,  Samuel,  199,  311-12-30-4. 
Devereux,  John  C,  32. 
Dewey,  Dellon  M.,  296. 
Dexter,  Andrew,  295. 

S.  Newton,  295. 
De  Zeng,  Josephine  M.,  128. 

William  S.,  120. 
Dickinson,  John  D.,  97. 
Doane,  Jonathan,  28. 
Doolittle,  Ormus,  297. 

Reuben,  297. 

Uri,  18. 
Douglas,  William  B.,  238-71. 
Douglass,  David  B.,  169-93,  333- 
Dox,  Abraham,  25,  120. 

George  N.,  296. 

Jacob,  28. 

Peter  M.,  296. 
Drake,  Sir  Francis,  i. 
Dudley,  Henry,  231-2. 
Durfee,  William  P.,  336. 

Fames,  Misses,  221. 

Spencer  S.,  295. 
Eggleston,  Moses  T.,  295. 
Elsbre,  Walter,  295. 
Ely,  Alfred,  296. 
Emott,  James,  97. 


Index  ok  Lay  Names 


395 


Evans,  Charles  W.,  297. 
David  E.,  120,  296. 
Evelyn,  John,  322. 

Fargo,  Harry  N.,  77. 
Farrington,  ThomiiS,  280. 
Fatzinger,  Levi,  296. 

Thomas,  296. 
Finch,  Isaac,  52. 
Fit/hugh,  Bennett  C,  148. 

Henrietta,  148. 

Peregrine,  148. 
Floyd,  Elizabeth,  128. 

Richard,  12S. 
Folwell,  William  VV.,  239. 
Ford,  Elijah,  297. 
Francis,  John   J.,  295. 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  371. 
Frost,  E.  C,  279. 

Ganson,  John  S.,  297. 
Gardner,  George  J.,  295. 
Gaylord,  Oren,  296. 
Gilbert,  Sir  Humphrey,  i,  2. 
Gilmer,  Andrew  T.,  295. 
Gold,  Thomas  R.,  32. 
Goodwin,  Stephen  A.,  195,  296. 
Graham,  Edward  A.,  288,  295. 
Granger,  Amos  P.,  295. 

Erastus,  46. 
Grant,  Abraham  P.,  219-96. 
Graves,  Benjamin,  18. 
Green,  John  A.,  285. 
Grosvenor,  Mrs.  Lucretia,  30. 

Stephen  K.,  30. 

Hadley,  Sterling  G.,  296. 
Hale,  Ebenezer,  296. 
Hallett,  Jacob  W.,  28. 
Hamlin,  P'rederick  W.,  164. 

Joseph,  164. 
Harcien,  George,  18. 
Plarrison,  Jonas,  46. 
Hatch,  Timothy,   29. 
Hathaway,  Jay,  295. 
Hayes,  Edward,  i. 

George  E.,  297. 


Hayward,  William  S.,  297. 
Heathcote,  Anne,  128. 

Caleb,  128. 

Sir  William,  197. 
Heminway,  Truman,  296. 
Henry  VH.,    i. 
Heywood,  Russell  H.,  297. 
Higby,  Jeduthan,  2q. 
Hills,  Clarissa,  221. 

Emily,  221. 

Mary,  221. 
Hinman,  John  E.,  120,  295. 

Walker,  296. 
Hoffman,  Murray,  195. 
Holley,  Alfred  A.,  296. 
Holmes,  Daniel,  296. 
Hooker,  John,  32. 

Samuel,  31-2. 
Hopkins,  Henry  R.,  370. 
Hopper,    James,  32. 

Thomas,  295. 
Horwood,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  217. 
Plosmer,  Timothy,  19. 
Howard,  Henry,  296. 

Rufus  L,  365. 
Hubbard,  Frederick  W.,  268-9-71. 

Thomas  H.,  120,   295. 
Hudson,  David,  120. 
Hughes,  Richard,  29. 
Hummaston,  Noah,  18. 
Plunt,  Sanford,  153. 

Ward,  279-S7-8. 

Washington,  227-97. 
Hurd,  Edgar  H.,   296. 
Hutchinson,  E.  H.,  354. 
Hyde,  Katharine  C,  368-72. 

William,  371. 

Jackson,  Capt.,  80. 

William  B.,  288. 
Jay,  John,  128. 

Mrs.  Mary,  1 28. 

Peter,  128. 

Peter  A.,  97. 
Jeffries,  Thomas,  29. 
Jennings,  Isaac,  52. 


396 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


Jewett,  Elam  R.,  297. 
Johnson,  Aylmer,  32. 

Bryan,  32. 

Sir  John,  10,  22. 

Sir  William,  9,  22. 

Thomas  A.,  271-96,  301. 
Jones,  Edward  R.,  97. 

Seth  C,  296. 
Judd,  Silas,  18. 
Juliand,  Joseph,  145,  268. 

Keep,  Charles,  297. 

Henry,  297. 
Ketcham,  Jesse,  365. 
Kimberly,  John  L.,  297. 
Knox,  Addison  T.,  296. 

La  Fort,  Abram,  51. 
Lake,  Joel,  29. 
Lamed,  John  S.,  46. 
Lathrop,  Joshua,  296. 
Lawson,  Mrs.  Susannah,  28. 
Leake,  Isaac  Q.,  46. 
Lee,  Gideon,  68. 

Mrs.  Isabel,  68. 
Lewis,  Daniel  W.,  2S-9,  30. 

Samuel,    296. 
Littell,  Emlen,  231. 
Livermore,  Arthur,  214. 
Lyon,  Philemon,   295. 

Ziba,  295. 

M'Adam,  Mrs.  Anne  C,  128. 

John  L.,  128. 
M'Bride,  George   B.,  296. 
M'Carty,  Andrew  Z.,  296. 
M'Daniels,  Joseph  H.,  335. 
M' Donald,  James,  296. 
M'Whorter,  George  C.,  296. 
Macomb,  John  N.,  Jr.,  344. 
Malin,  Rachel,  87. 
Mann,  Hiram,  143. 

Matthew  D.,  370. 
Marshall,  Edward  G.,  296. 
Martindale,  John  H.,  243-6-79. 
Mason,  Charles,  295. 
Mather,  Susan,  355. 


Matthews,  Vincent,  120,  296. 

Maxwell,  Thomas,  120. 

May,  Elijah  E.,  295. 

Meek,  Charles  B.,  296. 

Mercer,  William  V.  I.,  296. 

Miller,  WiUiam,  87. 

Mixer,  Mrs.  Mary  E.,  110,  350. 

Montalembert,  Comte  de,  319. 

Montgomery,  Thomas  C,  279-96. 

Moore,  Clement  C,  55. 

Morse,  Chauncey,  296 

Moss,  Horace  O.,  295. 

Movius,  Julius,  297. 

Mumford,  George  H.,  120,  296,  301. 

Munro,  Mrs.  Eve,  128. 

Frances,  10. 

Mrs.  Margaret,  128. 

Peter  J.,  128. 

Wilfred  H.,  312-29. 
Munson,  Edgar,  296. 
Munson,  Jesse,  296. 
Murray,  John  R.,  296. 
Mygatt,   Henry  R.,   295. 

Nagle,  David,  29. 
Nash,  Francis  P.,  335-71. 
Neely,  Albert  E.,  214. 
Nicholas,  George  W.,  29. 

John,  28-9. 

Robert  C,  120,  296. 

Ogden,  Mrs.  Anna  B.,  137. 

Thomas  L.,  97. 
Oley,  Simon,  296. 
Onderdonk,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  84. 

John,  84. 
O'Neill,  Matthew,  336. 
Osborne,  Amos  O.,  295. 

Will. am,  295. 

William  R.,  271. 
Otis,   Calvin  N.,  177. 

Parshall,  De  Witt,  143,  313. 
Pearl,  Erastus,   295. 
Peck,  John  J.,  219-95. 
Mr.,   18. 


Index  ok  Lay  Namks 


397 


Peckham,  Peter  P.,  297. 
Penfield,   Henry  F.,  97,  297. 
Perkins,  (Jeorge  R.,  295. 
Pettibone,  Stoughton,  297. 
Phelps,  Mrs.  Catharine,  22,  38. 

Ebenezer,  29. 

Ralph  R.,  26. 
Philpot,  William  S.,  296. 
Pierrepont,    William  C,    107-20-22-32, 

2i9-43.34>- 
Pierson,  John,  29. 
Pitkin,  William,  296. 
Piatt,  Jonas,  32. 
Polhamus,  A.  D.,  143. 
Porter,  Peter  A.,  297. 

Susannah,  371. 
Post,  John,  32. 
Powell,  Archibald  C,  295. 

Thomas,  28-9. 
Prentice,  David,  189. 
Prescott,  Joel  H.,  296. 
Prince,  Heber,  296. 
Pringle,  Benjamin,  296. 
Proal,  Mary  A.,  221. 
Proctor,  Mrs.  Mary,  336. 
Pulteney,  Sir  James,  32. 

Lady,  32. 

Radcliffe,  Jerry,  297. 
Radley,  Richard,  296. 
Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  i. 
Rand,   Benjamin,  371. 
Ransom,  Elias,  46. 

Elias  (2),  46. 
Red  Jacket  (chief),  23. 
Redfield,  Heman  J.,  120,  296. 
Rees,  James,  28-9,  55,  120. 
Remington,  Illustrious,  295. 
Richards,  Peter,  296. 
Richmond,   Jonathan,  296. 
Risley,  Elijah,  297. 

William,  297. 
Rochester,  Henry   E.,  120-32,  296,  346. 

Mrs.  Margaret  M.,  129. 

Nathaniel,  47. 


Nathaniel  T.,  296. 

Thomas  F.,  129. 
Rockwell,  Daniel,  297. 
Rogers,  William  H.,  122. 
Rose,  Charles,   296. 

Delos,  196. 

Gavin  L.,   296. 

Henrj',  296. 

John  N.,  296. 

Mrs.  Margaret,  28. 

Robert  L.,  33,  120. 

Robert  S.,  2S-9. 
Rumsey,  John,  28. 

Salmon,  Daniel  O.,  295. 
Sanborn,  Mrs.  Hannah,  17, "20. 

Nathaniel,  17. 
Sanger,  Henry  K.,  296. 

Jedediah,  62-7. 

Zedekiah,  295. 
Schuyler,  Angelica,  217. 

Gertrude,  128. 

Philip,  217. 
Sew  all,  Stephen,  371. 
Seward,  William  H.,  296. 
Shearman,  Joseph  A.,  269. 
Shepard,  Charles  E.,  296. 
Sherman,  G.  W.,  297. 
Sherwood,  Thomas,  295. 
Sibley,  Mark  H.,  296. 
Simons,  James,  296. 
Smith,  E.  Darwin,  120. 

Edward  M.,  296. 

Hamilton  L.,  335. 

James  C,  143,  280,  351. 

James  M,,  271-80-97,  348. 

Junius  A.,  296. 

Silas  O.,  296. 
Somers,  Nelson  L.,  296. 
Sprague,  John,  295. 

Jonathan,  120,  297. 
Stanley,  Elisha,  120,  296. 
Stebbins,  Charles,  295. 
Steuben,  Baron  F.  W.  A.,  19. 
Stocker,  Anthony,  128. 
Stow,  Williams.,  296. 


398 


Diocese   of  Western  New  York 


Strafford,  Earl  of,  322. 
Stryker,  John,  279. 
Swift,  John  H.,  238-324. 

Joseph  G.,  120,  296. 

Samuel  W.,  133. 

Taney,  Roger  B.,  360. 
Taylor,  William,   295. 
Thomas,  George  R.,  295. 
Thompson,  Sheldon,  46. 
Tiffany,  Catharine,  22. 

Gideon,  22. 

Isaiah,   295. 
Tomlinson,  Daniel  W.,   296. 
Townsend,  Daniel  J.,  297. 
Tracy,  Phineas  L.,  296. 

William  G.,  32. 
Trowbridge,  Artemas,  295. 

Josiah,  46. 
Tupper,  Samuel,  46. 
Tuttle,  Catharine,  336. 

Cyrus,  145. 

Upjohn,  Richard,  231-2. 

Vail,  Charles  D.,  335. 
Van  Cortlandt,  Anne,    128. 

Eve,  128. 

Mary,  128. 

Stephanus,  128. 
Van  Rensselaer,  Jeremiah,  32. 
Van  Schaack,  Henry  C,  295. 
Van  Waganen,  Catharine,   145. 

Gerritt  H.,  145. 

John  R.,  145. 
Ver  Planck,  S.  Hopkins,   296. 
Vought,  Abraham,  296. 

Wager,  David,   295. 
Walbridge,  Henry  B.,  297. 
Walker,  Benjamin,  19,  32. 

Caleb,    19. 

William  H.,  287. 
Walter,  Peter  D.,  297,  334. 
Walton,  Abram  N.,  28. 
Walton,  Isaak,  322. 


/ 


Warren,  Edward  S.,  297. 
Waterman,  Mrs.,  34. 
Washington,  George,  19. 
Watson,   James  De  L.,  142. 

William  H.,  288. 
Webster,  George  B.,  100-20,  297 
Weed,  De  Witt  C,  297. 
Welch,  Samuel  M.,  no. 
Wentworth,  Delos,   296. 
Wetmore,  J.  Henry,  164,  295. 
Wheeler,  Albert  S.,  239. 
Wheelock,  James,  22. 
White,  Esther,  15. 
Mrs.  Eve,  128. 
Hamilton,  295. 
Henry,    128. 
Horace,  219-95. 
Hugh,  15,  32. 
James  P.,  279,  297. 
Margaret,  128. 
Philo,   295. 

William  M.,  280-95,  3°7' 
Whittlesey,  Frederick,    120. 
Whitney,  Joshua,  34. 
Wickham,  Mrs.  Cornelia  A.,    147,   355, 

Thomas,  147. 
Wilder,  Milton,  297. 
Wildman,  David,  18. 
Wilkinson,  Jemima,  87. 
WiUiams,  Fletcher,  296. 
J.  Watson,  295. 
Nathan,  28,  32. 
Willoughby,  Sir  Hugh,  1. 
Wills,  Frank,  231-2. 
Wilson,  Charles  S.,  295. 
Witherspoon,  Samuel  F.,  296. 
Wood,  Hiram,  295. 

Ralph  T.,  29. 
Woodward,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  90. 

John,  90. 
Worden,  Alvah,  296. 
Worthington,  Gad  B.,  296. 

York,  George  P.,  297. 
Young,  Benjamin  F.,  296. 


0 


INDEX  OF    PLACES 


WESTERN  NEW  YORK  PARISHES  AND  MISSIONS 


Adams  231. 

AllMon  215,  356. 

Allen's  Hill  23<  53.  61-6,  75,  103,  214. 

Angelica  34,  68,  97,  217. 

Attica  309. 

Auburn  29,   32-4-7,  49,  60,  79,  90,  124- 

34,  212-40-9. 
Augusta  265-6. 
Avon  19,  23,  61,  47-9,  75,  104,  355. 

Bainbridge  47,  65-8,  212. 

Batavia  40-6-9,  52,  61-2-3,75,  153,  211. 

Bath  59,  60,  75-7,  97,  104-54,  213,  310- 

55- 
Belmont  217. 
Bergen  52-3. 
Big  Flats  68,  75-7,  97. 
Binghamton  34,  52-3,  68,  215-33. 
Black  Rock  (Buffalo)  52,  61,  215. 
Boonville  47,  53. 
Bradford  356. 
Bridgewater  47. 
Brockport  59,  120. 
BrowTiville  67,  70,  91,  105-53,  -"-• 
Brutus  37. 
Buffalo,  All  Saints  309-83. 

Ascension  353. 

Church  Home  354-63. 

East  Side  352. 

Good  Shepherd  353. 

Grace  215,  354. 

Laymen's  League  370. 

Misses  Hills's  School  221. 

S.  Andrew  353. 

S.  Barnabas  353. 

S.  James  215,  309-52. 

S.  John  177,  210-12. 

S.  Luke  384. 

S.  Margaret's  School  329. 

S.  Mark  354. 

S.  Mary  309. 


S.  Paul    23,    46-9,    52-8,  61,    78,  5-10 

53,  210-32-91,  345-7-53- 
S.   Philip  356. 
Trinity  110-53-77,  210,  350-2. 

Caledonia  26. 

Camden  27,  215. 

Camillus  59. 

Canandaigua  17,  19,  20-3-4,  42-6-9,  61, 

75.  97.  '54.   173'  212-14,   220-3-40, 

310-55- 
Canaseraga  18. 
Canastota  59. 
Candor  68. 
Cape  Vincent  155. 
Carthage  47. 

Catharine  34,  52-3,  60,  75-7,  153. 
Cayuga  37. 

Cazenovia  37,  53,  91,  211-12-31. 
Centrefield  90,  103. 
Chautauqua  Co.  309. 
Chenango  Co.  66. 
Chittenango  58. 
Churchville  58. 
Clark's  Mills  265. 
Clifton  Springs  26,  34,  356-65. 
Clinton  265. 
Clyde  59,  155,  215. 
Colesville  70. 
Constableville  104. 
Constantia  20,  90. 
Coming  215-^0,  355. 
Coventry  68,  232. 

Danby  52-3,  60,  97,  104. 

Deansville  265. 

Dexter  153. 

Dresden  37,  310. 

Dry  den  47. 

Dundee  310. 

Dunkirk  59,  212. 


400 


Diocese  of  Western  New  Vork 


East  Aurora  309. 

East  Bloomfield  155,  214. 

Ellicottville  77,  103. 

Elmira  90-7,    153,211-15-55. 

Fayetteville  78,  91. 

"       (Guilford)  105. 
Forestville  153. 

Fort  Niagara  (Youngstown)  3,  8. 
Fort  Stanwix  (Rome)  15. 
Fredonia  59,    61-5,97,    104-53,211-12- 

40,  356. 
Fulton  59,  104,  213. 

Geddes  59,  90,    108. 

Geneseo   3,  52-3,  61-6,   74,   97,  104-53, 

240,  355- 
Geneva,  S.  John's  Chapel  189,  238. 

S.  Peter  201-19-57-74,  301. 

S.Philip  356. 

Trinity  26-8-9,  jO-i,  49,  60,   71,  119, 
154-5,  168-S8-95,  211,  343- 
Genoa  37. 
Georgetown  68. 
Greene  47,  97,  f04-53-78. 
Guilford  78,  97,  105,  212. 

Hamburgh  52. 

Hamilton  27,  231. 

Hammondsport  59,  77,  90,  310. 

Harpersville  70,  88,  105,  213. 

Havana  (Montour  Falls)  75-7,  153. 

Hector  78,  90. 

Holland  Patent  j8,  58,62,  125-47-53-64. 

Homer  59,  90-1-7. 

Honeoye   (Allen's  Hill)  33-7-8,   49,  53. 

Honeoye  Falls  153-5. 

Homellsville  211-33,  355- 

Hunt's  59,  7C-5,  152. 

Ithaca  59,  60-2,  75-7,  211. 

Jamestown  59,  104,  355. 
Jamesville  60,  75,  90. 
Jefferson  (Watkins)  77. 
Jordan  217. 

Kanadesagea  (Geneva)  13. 


Lenox  27,  53. 

Le  Roy  46,  52-3,  61-8,  75,  133,  310-55. 

Lewiston  11,  ioj-4-5. 

Leyden  47. 

Liverpool  68. 

Livingston  Co.  221. 

Livonia  47,  53,  310. 

Locke  47. 

Lockport  88,   90,  103-4-47,  215-33,  355- 

Lowville  27,  49. 

Ludlowville  68. 

Lyons  61-8,  97,  142,  214-40,  356. 

Manchester  (Niagara  Falls)  70. 
Manlius  20-6-7,  37-S>  47-9.  53.  60,  74- 

5,  89,  91,  215. 
Marcellus  37,  59,  6c-6,  90. 
Mayville  59,  61,  70,  89,  356. 
Medina  97,  107-8. 
Mentz  37. 
Middleport  310. 
Millport  153. 
Montezuma  52,  68. 
Montour  Falls  (^Havana)  75-7,  153. 
Moravia  59,  60-1-6,  75,    153,  216. 
Mount   Morris  97,    104,  213-33-40,   313. 
Mount  Upton  97. 

Newark  232,  356. 

New  Berlin  38,  77,  153,  211-31. 

New  Hartford  59,  6c-i-6,  75,  154. 

Niagara  Falls  70,  103,  216-40,  310-48-55. 

Nouvich  97,  104. 

Nunda  68,  153. 

Oakfield  310-13. 

Ogdensburg  62. 

Clean  77-8,  103-53,  355- 

Onondaga  19,  26,  49,  53-9,  60-6,  75. 

Oquaga  Hills  (Harpersville)  20-7,  37,  70, 

88,  213. 
Oriskany  78,  90. 
Oswego  47,  74,  103,  215-33-55. 
Otisco  53,  68. 
Oxford  38,  53,  68,   21  i-i  2-13-33. 

Painted  Post  60,  79. 


Index  of  Places 


401 


Palmyra  30,  59,  61,  74,  153,  217,  310. 

Paris  Hill  17,  19,  27-8,  38,  49,  52,  60,  75. 

Penfield  49. 

Penn  Yan  59,  60. 

Perryv  ille  68,  90. 

Phelps  32,  47,  53,  97,  104-54,  233,  356. 

Pierrepont  Manor  104-7,  -'S- 

Pittsford  47-9,  I  S3.  j'O. 

Pleasant  Valley  77. 

Pompey  20-7.  37,  53,  73-9. 

Portageville   153. 

Pulaski  231. 

Pultneyville  34,  49,  69. 

Randolph  309. 

Redfield  27. 

Richmond  (Allen's  Hill)  50,  61. 

Ripley  59. 

Rochester,  Christ  Church    215-41,  311- 

54- 
Church  Home  301. 
Epiphany  354. 
Good  Shepherd  310. 
S.  Andrew  293,  310-38,  54. 
S.  Clement  310. 
S.  James  31C-54. 
S.  John  310. 
S.    Luke    46-7-9,  58,  61-2-3,    79,  99, 

158-78,  240,  310-54. 
S.  Mark  355. 

S.  Paul  70-9,  167-78,  212-13,  3'0~54- 
Trinity  178,  354. 
Rome  15,  58,  67,  90,  213-15-31-2. 

Sackett's  Harbor  53-9,  66,  90. 
Salamanca  309. 
Schuyler  Co.  310. 
Seneca  Falls  97,  154. 
Sherburne  52,  68,  77,  103. 
Skaneateles  37,  66,  70,  154. 


Sodus  47,  61-9,  91-7,   104-47. 
Sodus  Point  69,  149. 
South  Phelps  310. 
Speedsville  90. 
Stafford  59,  155. 
Sullivan  27. 

Syracuse,    S.  Andrew's    Divinity  School 
216. 

S.  James  216-65. 

S.  Paul  59,  60-6-8,  75,    89,    130,  210- 
14-32-65-S. 

Trenton  38. 

Tully  S3- 

Turin  47-9.  53,  66. 

Utica,  Calvary  210-15. 

Grace  125-54,   233-40-1-50-5. 
S.  George  216. 

Trinity   27,  31-8,  49,  52,  67,  75,    144- 
54,  211. 

Venion  47. 

Verona  52. 

Victor  38,  49. 

Vienna  (Phelps)  47,  53,    104-54. 

Warsaw  59,  66. 

Waterloo  47,  53,  60-2,  75,  154,  213-14- 

« 5-1 7-33-55- 
Watertown  68,  89,  90,    105,  212-14-31- 

40. 
Watkins  77-8,  91,  153,  240. 
Weedsport  80. 
Westfield  59-78,  89,  90,  212. 
Wethersfield  Springs  59,  104-7. 
Whitestown  16,  212. 
Williamsville  52. 
Windsor  47,  53,  68,  70. 

Youngstown  103. 


GENERAL   INDEX 


All  Saints'  Day,  teaching  of,  319. 
All  Saints,  Margaret   St.,  London,    228. 
Alms     Basin     presented     to    American 

Church,    197. 
Altar  Lights,  179,  361. 
Altar  Plate  for  Mohawk    Mission,  4,  12. 
American  Bishops  in  England,  198. 
American  Church,  Bp.  Coxeon,  326. 
Ante-Nicene  Christian  Fathers,  342. 
Antimasonry,  87. 
Archdeaconries,  94,  349-52. 
Asia  Minor,  Bishops  in,  95. 
Atlantic  Cable,  228. 
Avenues  of  Infidelity,  Bp.  De    Lancey's 

Charge,  223. 

Beech  Woods  of  Pennsylvania,  61. 
Beneficence,  Bp.  Coxe  on,  338. 
Bethany,   Bp.   De    Lancey's  accident  at, 

176. 
Bethlehem,  Pa.,  Moravian  Mission  13. 
Bible  and  Prayer  Book  Society  40,  68. 
Birkenhead,  Eng.,  S.   Aidan's   Training 

School,  228. 
Bishop's  house,    131-4,  256. 
Books,  Church,  usefulness  of,  105,  228. 
Brantford,  Ont.,  Mohawk  church,  12. 
Breakfast  at  Convention  of  1867,  276. 
Brotherhoods  and  Sisterhoods,  207. 

Caen,  Normandy,  228. 

Canons,  Diocesan,  revised,  81,  130,  337- 
40. 

Canterbury,  Abp.  of,  gifts  to  Indian 
Missions,  6. 

Canterbury,  Convocation  of,  228. 

Carey  Ordination,  159. 

Cary   School,   Oakfield,  221,  310-13-29. 

Catechising  (Father  Nash),  109. 

Cathedral,  Bp.  Coxe  on,  262-91  ;  chap- 
ter, 292  ;  at  Rochester,  293,  338  ;  Li- 
brary, 293,  306. 


Cayugas,  Missions  to,  2. 

Central  New  York,  Primary  Convention, 

282;  election  of  Bishop,  286-90  ;name, 

2S6-8. 
Chancels    of    Bp.     Hobart's     day,     82 ; 

Bp.  Onderdonk's,    107  ;  Bp.    De    Lan- 
cey's, 142. 
Chapel  for  Mohawk  Mission,   5,  6. 
Charlestown  College,  68. 
Chicago,  Bp.  Whipple's  church,  213. 
Children's  Choir  of  1827,  71. 
China  Mission,  153. 
Cholera  of  1832,  86. 
Christian  Ballads,  319-21. 
Christian  Knowledge  Society,  58,  75. 
Christian    Unity,    Bp.    De    Lancey    on, 

326;  Bp.Coxe,  318-57-9. 
Christmas  Fund,  138,  228-59,  304. 
Church  Book  Society,  223. 
Church  building,  230,  310. 
Church  Congress  of  1888,  346. 
Church  Eclectic,  216. 
Church  of  England,  Bp.   De   Lancey  on, 

198. 
Church  Homes,  301-10-54-63. 
Church  Journal,  216. 
Church  of  Law,  Bp.  Coxe's  Charge,  360. 
Church  Schools,    125-83-4-99,   221-59- 

98,  329. 
Churches  Consecrated,  10  in  17  days,  90. 
Churchmen  Classified,   Bp.    De  Lancey, 

170. 
Clergy  at  organization   of  the   Diocese, 

119;   List,  373. 
Clergy  Relief  Fund,  76. 
Coadjutor,   Bp.  Hobart,   35 ;   Bp.  Coxe, 

242;  proposed,  349-51. 
Committee  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  in 

New  York,  16. 
Communicants,  increase  of,  81,  130,  230, 

328  ;  Canon  on,  340. 


General  Index 


403 


Consecration  of  Bp.  Hobart,  35 ;  Bp. 
Ondeidoiik,  84;  Bp.  De  Lancey,  125; 
Bp.Easlbum,i55;  Bp.  Coxe,  247;  Bp. 
Kerfoot,  261;  Bp.  Huntington,  290; 
Bp.    Satterlee,  364 ;  Bp.  Walker,  370. 

Convention,  1S35,  first  in  W.  N.  Y.,  100; 
Primary  and  Special  of  1S38-9,  119- 
24  ;  Services  at,  144. 

Convocations,  68,  256-S,  304. 

Council,  of  18S5,  addresses  at,  341 ;  Semi- 
centennial, 343. 

Coxe,  Bishop,  quoted,  23,  3C-2,  41,  80- 
1-2,  102;  visit  to  Geneva,  239;  elected 
Coadjutor,  242 ;  consecrated,  247  ; 
first  Address,  255;  reception  in  Buf- 
falo, 256;  on  the  Civil  War,  25S;  on 
Provinces,  259;  Slavery,  260;  Greek 
Mission,  261  ;  Seraions  on  special 
occasions,  65,  257,  261,  285,  363;  on 
a  New  See,  266-70-7;  Minute  of  C. 
N.  V.  Convention,  284;  Address  on 
Name  of  the  Diocese  (C.  N.  Y.),  288 ; 
on  Cathedrals,  291  ;  on  Support  of  the 
Clergy,  314;  Efforts  for  Christian 
Unity,  318-57-9-63;  poems  quoted, 
318-21  ;  Translation  of  Fr.  Von  Hir- 
scher,  322-3 ;  founder  of  Christian 
Unity  Society,  324;  Letter  to  Pius  IX., 
325 ;  on  the  American  Church,  326 ; 
on  Moral  Reforms,  340 ;  20th  Anni- 
versaiy,  341;  Editor  of  Ante-Nicene 
Chiistian  Fathers,  342  ;  first  Baldwin 
Lecture,  343  ;  Semi-Centennial  Coun- 
cil, 344;  Quarter-Centennial  of  Conse- 
cration,347;  on  Coadjutorand  Division 
of  Diocese,  349;  Charge  of  1891,  350; 
pirt  in  Gallican  and  Old  Catholic 
work,  357-8;  Conference  with  Pres- 
byterians, 359;  Anti-Roman,  360;  on 
Ritual,  360  ;  personal  traits,  362-5-7- 
8  ;  last  work  and  decease,  360-6 ;  bur- 
ial, 366 ;  memorials  of,  336-66 ;  re- 
sults of  his  Episcopate,  369;  note  on 
family  and  early  life,  371. 

Cross  on  churches,  108. 


Daily  Service  at  Hobart  College,  191. 

Deaconesses  of  W.  N.  Y.,  303-55. 

De  Lancey,  Bishop,  voted  for  in  1S30, 
84 ;  elected  Bishop,  121-2;  life  of,  1 23  ; 
consecrated,  125;  first  Address,  126; 
first  visitations,  126;  residence  at 
Geneva,  131-2-3-4  ;  Addresses,  131- 
3-6-7-S-44-5-51-60-70-9,  223-4-5- 
6;  Consecration  Sermons,  155,  227; 
Charges,  150,  222-40;  Pastoral  Let- 
ters, 163-82 ;  article  on  Puseyism, 
166,  on  case  of  Bp.  Onderdonk,  175  ; 
accident,  at  Bethany,  126,  in  New 
York,  240  ;  abroad,  196,  227;  founds 
S.  Peter's  Chapel  and  Training  School, 
201-1S;  Resolution  on  Provinces,  203; 
on  the  Christian  Tenth,  204  ;  Brother- 
hoods, 207  ;  Support  of  Clergy,  207 ; 
Parish  Duties,  208  ;  in  the  Civil  War, 
236  ;  asks  for  Coadjutor,  241  ;  elec- 
tion and  consecration  of  Bp.  Coxe, 
242-7;  last  illness  and  decease,  250; 
burial,  251  ;  character  and  results  of 
his  Episcopate,  252 ;  his  theology, 
253  :  memorial  of  in  Geneva,  257 ; 
Bp.  Coxe's  sermon  on,  257  ;  resolu- 
tions of  Semi-Centennial  Council,  243. 

De  Lancey  Divinity  School,  273,  336. 

De  Lancey  Family,  122;  note  on,  128. 

De  Lancey  Institute,  Westmoreland, 
153,  221. 

De  Lancey  School  for  Girls,  Geneva, 
221,  329. 

Deserted  church,  78. 

Detroit,  Bp.  Hobart  at,  68,  70. 

De  Veaux  College,  199,213-22,  311-29- 
34;  chapel,  330-1-2. 

Diaconate,  permanent,  306. 

Diocesan  newspapers,  350. 

Diocesan  Training  School, 213-18— 56-73. 

Division  of  Diocese  of  New  York,  85,  93- 
4-5-6-9,  100-1-9-11-15  ;  Bp.  Whit- 
tingham  on,  101-2-13 ;  of  W'estem 
New  York  (1868),  246-55-66-7-8-70- 
4-7-82;  another  proposed,  348-9-51- 


404 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


Donations  in  parishes,  164,  207. 
Doolittle  Institute,  Wethersfield  Springs, 

221. 
Draft  of  1863,  238. 
Duck  Creek,  Oneida,  Wis.,  78. 

Early  churcVies,  customs,  vestments,  and 

music,  43-5. 
Election    of    Bishops,    Hobart,  35  ;   On- 

derdonk,  84;   De  Lancey,  121  ;   Coxe, 

242  ;   Huntington,  290  ;    Walker,  370, 

Canon  on,  340. 
Endowment    of   parishes,   67  ;    Bp.    De 

Lancey  on,  224. 
Episcopal  Library,  306. 
Episcopate  Fund,  109-16-24-99,  259-73- 

85,  307- 
Erie  Canal,  80. 

Evangelical  Knowledge  Society,  181. 
Examinations,  canonical,  in  1858,227. 

Fairfield,  Theological  School  at,  32-9. 

Fanaticism  in  W.  N.  Y.,  62. 

Federate  Council,  343. 

Fire  of  1835  in  New  York,  102. 

Fort  Hunter,   mission  and  chapel,  4^  5, 

8,  100. 
Franciscan  Missions  in  W.  N.  Y.,  2. 
Free  churches,  109-96,  265. 
Funerals,  of    Bp.    Hobart,  80 ;  Bp.  De- 

Lancey,  250;    Dr.  Gregory,  266;    Bp. 

Coxe,  366. 

General  Convention,  16,  45,  100-15-73- 

81,  202-60,  363. 
General  P.  E.  S.  S.  Union,  181. 
General    Theological    Seminary,     54-8, 

164-74-6-9,  259. 
"  Genesee  Fever,"  23. 
Gospel  Messenger,  69,   146-59,  216. 
Grave  of  Davenport  Phelps,  38. 
Greek  Mission,  261,  327-39-41. 
Green  Bay,  Wis.,  67-S,  78,  91-8. 
Growth  of  the  Church,  54,  81,  97,  130-7- 

44-52,  229-98,  309-28-54-5. 
"Halloween"  (by  Bp.  Coxe),  318. 
Heathcote  Hill,  Mamaroneck,  128,  252. 


History   of   the    Church,  resolution    on, 

195- 

Hobart,  Bishop,  results  of  his  Episco- 
pate, 81  ;  memorial  of,  82. 

Hobart  College,  38,  55-9,  68,  85,  147- 
55-80-S,  213-16-38-51-76-99,  335-6; 
chapel,  189-90,  238. 

Hobart  Divinity  School,  194,  215. 

Hobart   Hall,    Holland    Patent,  125-47- 

53- 
Hobart  Press,   75. 
Hymnal  of  1826,  72  ;  of  1872,  305. 

Impressions  of  England  (Bp.  Coxe), 322. 

Incorporation  of  churches.  Law  of,  97 
241. 

Institution  Office,  report  on,  195  ;  last 
use  of,  255. 

Instructions  for  Davenport  Phelps,  23. 

Ireland,  famine  of  1S47,  180;  Bp.  De 
Lancey  in,  198. 

Iroquois,  Missions  to,  French,  2 ;  En- 
glish, 4 ;  Moravian  and  Congregation- 
al, 13. 

"  Irvingites  "  (so  called),  224. 

Jane  Grey  School,  Mt.  Morris,  299,  313. 

Jerusalem,  N.  Y.,  settled,  87. 

Jesuit  Missions,  2. 

Johnstown,  church  at,  11,  19,  34-7. 

Journal  of  Davenport  Phelps,    23. 

Jubilee  of  S.  P.  G.,  1851,  196. 

Kanadesagea  (Geneva),  Seneca   Castle, 
13- 

Lambeth  Conference  of  1888,  358. 
Library,  Episcopal    (or  Cathedral',   306. 
Lilac  Grove  School,  New  Hartford,  221. 
Litany,  use  of,  362. 

Littlemore,Eng.,  Newman's  church,  143. 
"Lost  Prince,"  Eleazar  Williams,  47. 

Marriages,  Canon  on,  340. 
Memorial  of  Bishop  De  Lancey,  257. 
Michigan,    Bishop    of.  Dr.    Whitehouse 

elected,  99  ;  Bp.  M'Coskry  in  England, 

196. 


General  Index 


405 


Minnesota,  First  Bishop  of,  214. 

Missionaries,  itinerant,  136-84 ;  letters 
from  to  Bisiiop  De  Lancey,  162. 

Missionar}-  Fund,  Pennanent,  138,  272, 
298;  Offerings,  131.  303;  Reports, 
88-9,97,  152-4;  Rectors,  185;  Sti- 
pends, 52,  106,  303;  Work,  need  of, 
106. 

Missions,  Diocesan,  report  on,  272  ; 
plans  of,  302  ;  Foreign,  147  ;  Geneial, 
151. 

Missions,  Organized,  Canon  on,  341. 

Missions  to  the  Iroquois,  2,  4,  13,  17, 
19,  40-9,  51-9,  66,  74-5-S-9,  91-8, 
356. 

"Model  Diccese,"  W.  N.  Y.  so  called, 

253- 
Montrose,  Pa.,  Kp.  Hobart  at,  61. 
Moravian  Missions  to    the    Iroquois,  13. 
Mormonism,  Origin  of,  87. 

Name  of  the    Diocese,  116,  263-82-6-9, 

306;  of  the  Church,  326. 
Nashotah,  149,  216. 
Needs  of  the  Diocese,  Bp.  De  I.ancey's 

Charge,  240. 
New    Diocese,    Central    New    York    so 

designated,   280. 
New   York,  Diocese    of,  organized,    16; 

City,great  fire  of,  102;  Calvary  Church, 

250;  S.  Esprit,  241  ;  S.  Peter,  214. 
Nominations,  Bp.  De  Lancey  on,   242. 
Norwich  University,  presidency  of,    213. 

Offerings,  102-3-3 1-80,  229-32-98,  302- 

4-9-2S. 
Old  Catholics,  327-58. 
Oneida  Convocation,  265-7. 
Oneida,  Wis.,  Hobart  Church,  98. 
Oneidas,    Missions    to,  2,    17,  19,   40-9, 

51-9,  66,  71-4-5-8-9,  91-8. 
Onondagas,  Missions  to,  2,  51. 
Organization  of  Missions,  Canon  on,34i. 
Oxford    Movement,  59,  146-58-60,  338; 

Tracts,  146-58-74. 

Panic  of  1857,  225. 


Parish    Duties,  Bp.   De  I-incey    on,  208. 

Parish  Houses,  301. 

Parish  Registers,  65,  340;  Reports,  135. 

Parish  Schools,   221-65,  313. 

Parishes,  new,  plan  of  support,  140. 

Parsonages,  136. 

Partisan  Pamphlets,  186. 

Pennsylvania,  University  of,    123. 

Pews,  140-96. 

Phelps,  Davenport,  grave  of,  38. 

Philadelphia  Churches,  123. 

Piccadilly,  S.  James's  Church,  196. 

"Pioneers,"  and  Father  Nash,  108. 

Pittsburgh,  Consecration  of  Bishop  of, 
261. 

"  Pledge  Letter,"  100. 

Poorhouses  to  be  visited,  146. 

Prairie  du  Chien,  Wis.,  68. 

Prayer  Book,  distribution  of.  1S6;  Re- 
vision, 342. 

Prayers  for  the  Departed,  41. 

Precentor  of  Diocese  appointed,  305. 

Provinces,  Dr.  Hale  on,  117;  Bp.  De 
Lancey,  203  ;  Bp.  Coxe,  259,  343. 

Puseyism,  what  is  not,  166. 

Quarter-Centennial,  Bp.  Coxe,  347. 

Queen's  Concert,  228. 

Racine  College,  276. 

Railroads,  early,  in  W.  N.  Y.,  105. 

Rectories,  136,  301-15-28. 

Rectors,  Rights  of,  97. 

Redemption,  Extent  of.  Bishop  De  Lan- 
cey's  Charge,  150. 

Refomied  Episcopalians,  186. 

Religious  Excitement,  70,  86-7-8  ; Train- 
ing, Bp.  De  Lancey's  Charge,  222. 

Residence  of  the  Bishop,   131-4,  256. 

"Revised  Version,"  Bp.  Coxe   on,  337. 

Revision  of  Canons,  81,  130,  337-40; 
of  Prayer  Book,  342. 

Revival  of  1858,  action  of  Convention 
on,  225-6. 

Ritual,  advance  in,  179,  233;  customs, 
44.  235. 

"  Rochester  Knockings,"  88. 


4o6 


Diocese  of  Western  New  York 


"  Rural  Architecture,"  Upjohn's,    232. 
S.  Esprit,  New  York,  Churcii  of,  241. 
S.  Margaret's  School,  Buffalo,  329. 
Secretaries  of  the  Diocese,   119,  210-13- 

43-8-76. 
See  House,  256-7. 
See  Principle,  262-3-83-4-6-9,  348. 
Semi- Centennial  Council,  344. 
Sentence  of  Consecration  of  Bp.   Coxe, 

249. 
Sermons  of  deceased  clergymen,  229. 
Sherred,  Jacob,  bequest  of,  55,  188. 
Short  Hills,  N.  J.,  39. 
Slavery,  in  General  Convention  of  1865, 

260. 
Societies,  voluntary,  Bp.  De  Lancey  on, 

184. 
Society  for  Promotion  of   Religion    and 

Learning  (New  York),  56,  105,  300. 
Society  for  Propagation  of  the  Gospel, 

Jubilee  of,  196  ;  welcome  to  American 

Bishops,  197. 
*•  Southern  Tier,"  first  visit  of  Bp.   De- 

Lancey  to,  137  ;  plan  of  new  See,  275- 

80. 
Special  Convention  of  New  York,  1835, 

no;  of  W.  N.  Y.,  124,  370. 
Spiritualism,  origin  of,  88. 
Stained  Glass,  early,  234. 
Subscription,  early,  in  Rochester,  47. 
Sunday  Schools,  81,  305;    Book  Depos- 
itory, 136. 
Support  of  Clergy,   162,   206,    208,  308- 


14;    of    Episcopate,    in    Central    New 
New  York,  2S5 ;  in  W.  N.  Y.,  81,  134, 
242-69-79-83-5,  307-51. 
"Sympathies   of   the   Continent"    (Bp. 
Coxe),  323. 

Testimonials  for  Bp.  Coxe,  244. 

Theological  Education  Fund,  76;  School, 
at  Fairfield,  39,  54,  at  Geneva,  39,  55, 
180-93 ;  Society  of  New  York,  57. 

Tithe,  Bp.  De  Lancey  on,  204. 

Training  School,   Diocesan,   210-18-59- 

73.  33^- 

Trial  of  Bp.  B.  T.  Onderdonk,  174. 

Trinity  Church,  New  York,  grants  to  W. 
N.  Y.,  30-2,  101-9,  t°  Hobart  Col- 
lege, 193 ;  Bp.  De  Lancey's  note  on, 
224. 

"  Undenominational  work,"  Bp.  Hobart 
on,  48. 

"Universal  Friend"  (Jemima  Wilkin- 
son), 87. 

Verberie,  France,  228. 

Vermont,  Bishopric  of,  declined,  213. 

Vestments,  143-79,  234,  361. 

Vestries  and  Rectors,  97. 

Vestry  By-Laws,  209. 


Weekday  Prayers  in  Geneva,    li 
Westminster  Abbey,  196. 
Wisconsin  Territoiy,  98. 

Yellow  fever  of  1798,  21. 


31- 


PUBLICATIONS 

By  thk  Rev.  Charlf.s  Wklls  Hayes 


1845.     Canandaigua  Lake.     (W.  II.  Bogart,  Aurora.) 

1850-56.     Western   New   York    Churches.     (JV.    Y.   Ecclesiologist   and   Gospel 
Messenger.) 

1856.  Congregational  Chanting.     (^Gospel  Messenger.) 

1857.  Hints  on  Church  Building,     (do.) 

1858.  "  The  Rose  of  Sharon  "  Te  Deum  LauJamus.    (New  York  and  Buffalo  ; 
22  editions  to  1903,  about  45,000  in  all.) 

1859.  The  New  Parish  Register.     (New  York  and  Buffalo  ;   revised  1S95;  28 
editions  to  1903,  6,000  in  all.) 

i860.     Marriage  Certificates  and  Commendatory  Letters.    (Utica  and  Syracuse.) 
1861.     Sunday  School  Offices  and  Hymns.  (do.) 

1863.     The  Canticles  Pointed  for  Chanting,  with  Music.  (do-) 

1S66.     The  Episcopate  of  Bishop  De  Lancey.     (Church  Monthly.) 

Some  Thoughts  on  Ritualism  for  American  Churchmen,     (do.) 

1870.  Catechisingsfor  theChristian  Year.  12mo.pp.100.  (New York;  4  editions.) 

1871.  Cathedral  Hymns.     (Portland,  Me.) 

1872-S0.     The  North  East.     (Diocesan  Paper  of  Maine,  edited.) 

1875.  Examination   Papers  of   the    Uiocese  of  Maine.     (Reprinted  1899  for 
Western  New  York.) 

1876.  A  Long  Journey  ;  the  Story  of  Daniel  Haj'es.    i6mo.  pp.  76.   (Portland.) 

1877.  S.  Luke's  Cathedral,  Portland.     8vo.  pp.  32.     (Portland.) 

1878.  William  Wells  of  Southold,  and  His  Descendants,  A.  D.  1638  to  1878. 
Svo.  pp.  300,  Illust.     (Buffalo  :  privately  printed.) 

1881.  Via  Crucis  ;  a  Devotion  for  Good   Friday.      Approved  and  authorized 
by  the  Bishop  of  Western  New  York.     Buffalo  :   5  editions. 

1882.  The  "  E.xeter  "  Te  Deum   Laiidavius.     With  other   Chants.      (Buffalo 
and  New  York;  6  editions  to  1903.) 

George    Edward     Hayes;      a    Memorial.       8vo.    pp.    174.     (Buffalo: 
privately  printed.) 

The  Hayes  Family  of  Windsor,Conn.  [A'-Eng.  Hist,  and  Geneal. Register.) 

1883.  S.  Andrew's,  Newcastle,  Me.,  Consecration  Sermcn.     (Boston.) 

1884.  George  Hayes  of  Windsor  and  His  Descendants,  8vo.  pp.  355.  Portraits. 
(Buffalo.) 

1885-8.     Church  Kalendar.     (Diocesan  Paper  of  W.  N.  Y.,  edited.) 

1886.  Index  to  Ante-Nicene  Christian  Fathers,  by  Bp.  Coxe,  ii-vi.  (New York.) 

1887.  Twenty  Years.    Anniversary  Sermon,  Cathedral,  Portland.    Svo.  (West- 
field,  N.  Y.) 

Cathedral  Sketches  in  Wales.      i6mo.  pp.  60.    (Westfield,  N.  Y. ) 


Publications 

1888.     Fifty  Years.    Sermon  at  the  Semi-Centennialof  the  Diocese  of  Western 
New  York.     8vo.  pp.  36.     (Buffalo ;  published  by  the  Council.) 

1890.     Truth,   Obedience,    Reverence.     Pastoral  Address,  S.  Peter's  Church, 
Westfield,  W.  N.  Y. 

1890-96.     Deceased  Clergy  of  Western   New   York,    1813-96.     8vo.   pp.   38. 
(From  the  Journals  of  1866,  1890-96.)*     (Buffalo.) 

1893.     The  Cruise  of  the  Hornet  (1812-13),  andAn  Early  Experiment  in  Rail- 
roads (1827).     From  the  Papers  of  the  late  Pliny  Hayes,  M.D.  (Geneva.) 

1867.     Hobart  College  General  Catalogue,  1825-97.     Edited  for  the  Associate 
Alumni.     8vo.  pp.  254.     Portraits.     (Geneva.) 

189S.     The  Three  Ascensions.     Sermon.     8vo.     (Phelps,  N.  Y.) 

1899.     De  Veaux  College  :   History,  Charters  and  Statutes.     (Geneva;  pub- 
lished by  the  Trustees.     Revised  edition  1903.) 

The  Ministered  Gift.     Sermon  at  the  62d  Annual  Council  of  the  Dio- 
cese of  Western  New  York.     8vo.     (Buffalo.) 

Vestry  By-Laws.     8vo.     (Phelps,  N.  Y.) 

1901.  Early  Years  of  the  Church  in    Buffalo.     Sermon  for  the  77th  Year  of 
Grace  Church.     8vo.     (Buffalo.) 

1902.  De  Lancey   Divinity  School:   History    and   Catalogue.     8vo.     pp.  30. 
(Geneva.) 

A  Life  of  Service.      Sermon  at   the  Dedication  of  the  Rankine  Memo- 
rial House  of  S.  Peter's  Church,  Geneva,  1902.     (Geneva.) 

1903.  The  Diocese  of  Western  New  York  ;   History  and  Recollections.    8vo. 
pp.416.     88Illust.     (Rochester.) 


*  Which  drew  forth  the  fdllowing  letter  from  Bishop  Coxe,  Dec.  11,  i8qo  : 

"  Pergratam  mihi  opus  tuum  de  clericis  fratribus  nostris  qui  ex  vita  cesserunt,  et  in  coelum  (i.  e.  in 
Paradisum)  migravere.  Perlegens  historiam  tuam,  lachrymis  nonnullis,  haec  nomina  valde  pretiosa 
annos  praeteritos  in  mentem  revocaverunt.  Utile  et  pium  debitum  reddidiste.  Accipe  gratias  meas; 
Dominus  tibi  det  proemia  aeterna  !     Talia  verba  scripsi  ex  corde  fratenio." 

"  Arct.  Coxk  de  Terra  Clivosa, 
"Ep." 


DATE  DUE 

^HhW^^"^' 

GAYLORD 

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